Saol, Dilseacht, Grá
by XxxAnimaniacxxX
Summary: Translates to 'Life, Loyalty, Love.' Basically, some Kames and Cargan oneshots based on Irish folklore.
1. Gustavo's Children

**I'm not sure why I decided to do this. Oh, well. I'll just kinda dabble at it when I'm not working on other stories. So, here is the first oneshot. These stories will have only Kames and Cargan in them, unless there's another pairing needed for it. Ahem, so here's the first one! I put a lot more detail in it and stuff, the original is really short. Anyway, enjoy!**

**1. Gustavo's children – based off **_**The Children of Lir**_

There was once a noble king named Gustavo. He lived in a large stone castle with his family. He loved his wife very much, and ruled the kingdom happily with her. However, she soon fell ill, and passed away one cold winter's night. Gustavo was very unhappy, and cried for several days. However, he had three children, and he knew that he had to look after them. He loved them too much to let them see how weak he'd become.

Logan was sixteen, and Gustavo's eldest child. He had hair dark as coal and pale skin, with deep brown eyes. He was small and slim, but very fast. He was the smartest of the three brothers; he'd learned to read and write when he was very young and often taught his brothers literature and mathematics. Not that they paid much attention. Logan would spend a lot of his time reading or teaching children in the castle.

James was fifteen, and taller than Logan even though he was younger. He was strong for a boy of fifteen, with thick locks of brown hair, hazel eyes and tan skin, which was often unusual in their region. He was stronger and braver than his brothers. He didn't care much for studying, and spent a lot of time learning how to fight from the castle guards. He wanted to join the army when he was of age, and often went on hikes and hunting trips with the soldiers in training.

Kendall was fourteen, and the youngest of the three. He was pale like Logan, with golden hair and soft green eyes. He was small like Logan, but as he was still quite young he hoped that when he was older he would be tall and strong like James. He was the kindest of the three brothers, and while his brother Logan would educate the little servant children, Kendall would play with them, or keep the lonely ones company when their parents were working. He'd often followed his mother allowed like a little shadow, chirping about any problems the villagers had, and the queen would immediately see to it.

Gustavo decided that he needed a new wife, so his children could have a mother. He married a woman named Rebecca. She was very beautiful, with long golden hair. However, she was very bitter and jealous. She believed that Gustavo loved his children more than he loved her, and this made her very angry. So one summer's day, she gathered the boys up and said, "Would you like to me to take you swimming in the lake today?"

The children happily agreed, because the lake was one of their favourite places. The three boys were splashing in the lake and laughing happily, Rebecca watching them before pulling out her magic wand. "You children have come between your father and I for too long!" she screamed in rage.

The children looked at her in fear, but Logan replied, "You can't kill us. We're the children of the king and our ghosts will haunt you forever!"

Rebecca laughed. "I'm not going to kill you—I'm going to change you!"

She waved the wand and started an incantation. The children looked at each other in fear as they saw a red and gold circle envelope them on the water. They saw Rebecca point her wand at them, from which the great light of a fireball emerged and hurtled towards them, burning all in its wake.

The fireball hit the water and caused masses of steam to rise about the children and they soon lost all feeling in their legs, arms, shoulders and head. They soon regained their sight only to see Rebecca laughing at them. James, who was not afraid, tried to attack her and flailed his arms about furiously but nothing happened except the splashing of water. He turned to look at his brothers only to see that they had all been turned into the most beautiful white swans ever seen.

Rebecca scowled at them triumphantly. "You will remain swans for nine hundred years!" she laughed. Upon thinking of the conditions for the spell, she only wanted the children to suffer as much as possible. "You will spend three hundred years here, on Lough Derravaragh," she said. "Here, every winter solstice, so long as you remain on the water you will turn back into people. When the sun sets, you will become swans again. Next, you will spend three hundred years in the rough waters of the Sea of Moyle. Here, you will transform every night. Lastly, you will spend three hundred years on the Isle of Inis Glora. Your spell will only be broken when you hear the bell of the new God." With that, Rebecca left the lake and went back to her husband.

As she walked into the castle hall, Gustavo hurried up to her and asked, "Rebecca, where are my children?"

"Oh, it's so terrible!" Rebecca sobbed. "I tried to save them, I really did . . . but Kendall fell into the lake and he was drowning a-and James jumped in to save him, I told him not to but he wouldn't listen . . . then Logan, oh it was awful . . ."

Gustavo wasn't listening anymore. He was hurrying out of the castle and running down to the lake. "Logan!" he called desperately as he stopped in front of it. "James!" He looked around, hoping to see some signs of his lost children, but saw none. "K-Kendall . . ." Gustavo fell to his knees, crying over the loss. First his wife, now is beloved children. It was just too much.

He was wondering what point there was to go on living, when suddenly three swans swam up to him. They were beautiful, with feathers white as snow. Somehow they made him feel peaceful. Then suddenly, one of them spoke. "Father!"

He stared at the swans in shock. He recognised that voice. "Logan?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Look at what she did to us!" the second swan cried in James's voice.

"Who?" Gustavo was furious. "Who did this?"

"Rebecca," the smallest swan said, sounding just like Kendall.

Gustavo began to cry again. His sons had been turned into swans by who he thought would be a good mother to them, and he couldn't change them back. He felt helpless, and felt he'd let them down. He sat there by the lake with them all day, singing to them and telling them that it would be alright. When evening came, he returned to the castle. Rebecca was waiting there for him. "Hello," she said sadly when he came in. "Where have you been?"

Gustavo was filled with rage at what Rebecca had done, so he used his magical powers to banish her as a demon of the air. Although he had managed to do this without any trouble, he still didn't have the ability to change his children back.

So every day, Gustavo went back to the lake. He spent the whole day with his children, telling them stories and singing songs for them. It was almost like normal, but every night when the swans stayed at the lake and Gustavo went home, his heart broke all over again.

Even on the winter solstice, seeing his children transform back into humans wasn't enough. He soon became ill with grief and loneliness. One solstice, within twelve years of the boys' transformation, the children were wondering why their father hadn't come to see them yet.

"He's always here by now," little Kendall said, a worried frown on his face.

"Don't worry, kid," James said reassuringly, patting him on the head in an attempt to comfort him. "Maybe he's just tired."

They hadn't aged a day since Rebecca's spell, and would probably remain at this age for the next nine hundred years. James hoped they would; he dreaded the thought of becoming old and frail, and losing all his hair.

The boys saw a messenger from the castle running down the hill towards them. "Children!" he called, tears streaming down his face. "I have a message. Your father passed away last night. But before he died, he told me to tell you what happened. I'm sorry for your loss."

"What will happen to the kingdom?" Logan asked.

"Your cousin Jett will take over. He's looking forward to it."

"Jett?" James said in disgust. "He can't run a kingdom! He's too self-absorbed!"

"This was your father's decision, and I'm afraid you can't change it." The messenger gave them a small bow before turning to return to the castle. "May God bless you, children. Good luck on your way."

The messenger left. The boys sat at the lake, numb with shock. Then James said, "I can't believe he's really gone. Now we're alone. Logan, what are we going to do?"

Kendall began to cry, and soon James was too busy comforting him, and crying at the same time. Logan watched his younger brothers in panic. They were looking to him for advice. But he didn't know what to do! He'd never been good under pressure, and now the three were left alone, with him being responsible. He was the eldest; it was his job to look after them. But it seemed so difficult . . .

Then he saw Kendall's green eyes and James's hazel ones staring at him. They needed him.

To Kendall and James's surprise, Logan began to laugh. "This isn't funny!" Kendall said angrily, another tear falling down his face.

"I know, kid. But, if you think about it, we're still alive, and we've still got each other. This isn't the end of the world. We'll be ok."

And funnily enough, they all believed it. The three hundred years on Lough Derravaragh were quiet. Sometimes they were visited by the locals. However, they were mostly alone, but when they moved to the Sea of Moyle, they longed to return to the warm, calm waters of the lake. The water of the sea was rough and cold, and the swans were often tossed about by the waves. They were injured a few times by the rocks they were slammed against. Here, they changed every night, and so every sunset they would make their way to a cave they had found and would sleep there, huddling together for warmth. Sometimes, the sun would set before they left the water, and the rough water was a great danger. Logan could remember several evenings of diving around looking for Kendall, or himself being rescued from the water by James.

Those three hundred years were the hardest of their lives, but it was soon over, and they were travelling to Inis Glora. When they arrived, they saw a monk standing on the shore, reading aloud to a group of young boys. They were happy here, away from the sea, but remembered with heavy hearts that there was still another three hundred years to go before they could be changed back.

The monk was teaching the boys poetry and literature. One boy wasn't very interested, and soon wandered off by himself. The boy was sixteen, and his name was Carlos. He didn't want to serve the church for the rest of his life. Truthfully, he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, but it certainly wasn't this. As he wandered across the grass, he came across a pond with three beautiful white swans swimming around in it. He wandered over to them, smiling absent-mindedly. He watched them swim in and out of the water for a while, when suddenly he heard someone calling his name.

He turned to see one of the monks hurrying towards him. "Swans can be dangerous, Carlos!" he scolded as he arrived next to him.

"We're not dangerous!" The voice was young and sweet, like music.

But it came from the smallest swan, and so Carlos and the monk were shocked. "Did you just speak to us?" Carlos asked slowly.

"Of course!" another swan said in a loud, disapproving voice. They swam over to where the two were standing.

"Are you a man of the church?" the third swan asked the monk.

"I am," the monk replied slowly. "Where have you come from, can I ask?"

The three swans told the two people about everything that had happened to them, from their mother's death to the long nights in the Sea of Moyle. Once they were finished, the sad-eyed monk rested his hands above their heads and blessed them, just as a church bell rang out through the sky.

There was a flash of light, and once it cleared Carlos and the monk saw three young boys standing in front of them, one tall with tan skin, one pale with hair like night, one small with golden hair. They all glowed healthily, smiling in amazement and delight. "We're free!" the tallest yelled, dancing around happily.

The smallest one cheered with him, but Carlos could only look at Logan. When Logan smiled at him, his heart soared.

"So, now what?" Kendall asked, green eyes wide.

"I'll show you around the island," Carlos said, taking Logan by the hand and leading him away. Kendall and James laughed at Logan's blushing face as they left, now busy thinking up various ways to tease him later.

Even after nine hundred years, James still wanted to be a fighter until the end. Kendall still didn't know what he would do with his life, but he was the youngest of them, and had more time to think about it. And Logan had Carlos, so he was happy. They missed their old life, but they had a new one now. They would make the most of it.

**Right! So, I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I think I'm gonna like the next one better. There'll be more slash in it, for one thing. This one only had this teeny tiny bit of Cargan at the end. Ahem, anyway, there are a few different endings for the Children of Lir, and I just picked the happiest one. ****Hehe, I can't help liking the part where Gustavo turns Rebecca into a demon, or a moth in other versions. When I was reading the original there's no mention of Lir being able to do magic so I was just like, "Oh. Well, ok then." Lol, REVIEW!**


	2. The Merman of Moher

**Ok, oneshot **_**uimhir a dó!**_** Sorry about any cheesiness there may be in here. Lol, enjoy!**

**2. The Merman of Moher – Based off **_**The Mermaid of Moher/The Sea Woman**_

James lived in a small cottage on the hillside, overlooking the sea. He worked as a fisherman and sold what he caught at the village market. Though often he had bad luck and never caught anything. Despite being poor, he was happy most of the time, though he always wondered if he'd ever meet someone to spend his life with. He may have been happy, but he was also lonely.

James was walking along the seashore one day, carrying his empty fishing net when he heard voices, singing echoing lonesome songs. He looked around, wondering where the voices were coming. He hurried along the beach until he spotted a large rock a few feet from the shore. He crept up behind another rock, watching.

His eyes widened as he saw several mer-people sitting on the rock, laughing and singing. Some mermaids were combing their long, wet hair as they sang into the wind. He saw a few mermen among them, darting in and out of the water as they laughed amongst themselves.

Then he saw one of them sit up on another rock, smiling and laughing at his friends. He had glowing golden hair and a tail of shimmering scales, green as the ocean around him. He wore a long silver chain attached to a large gem around his neck, like the other mer-people sitting with him. James thought he was beautiful, more eye-catching than any human he'd ever seen in his life, and more stunning than any of the other sea people he could see.

James forgot about fishing, and sat there all day, watching the merman play with his brothers and sisters. As the sun was setting, the sea people dived back into the water and vanished.

James went back the next day, hoping to see the merman again. This time, he hid in a spot much closer to where the mer-people had been playing. He sat there for almost an hour, growing stiff and cold. He was going to give up and leave when he saw a head of dark, tangled hair appear above the water. The mermaid climbed up onto the rock, combing her long hair with her fingers, humming to herself. Then suddenly, more of them appeared, leaping out of the water, their beautiful tails shimmering in the sunlight.

Then a golden head appeared out of the water, much closer to James than the others. James could see him so clearly as he looked around. He had an amazing smile, and the most beautiful eyes James had ever seen. They were a glowing green like his tail, and seemed to glimmer with mischief and joy. The merman turned and swam over to where the others were sitting. He lay down on the rock, tail dipping in the water. James watched him, totally mesmerised.

Then something happened that he certainly didn't expect. The merman took his long necklace off, putting it down beside him. James wasn't sure how it happened, but he thought he saw his tail glowing even brighter than before, and suddenly it had been replaced by a pair of long, lean legs. The merman looked delighted, giggling as he kicked little splashes of water up with his feet. One of his hands was running along his leg, the merman smiling to himself almost in awe. James had to smile fondly at the sight.

He saw other mer-people doing the same thing, and soon many of them were playing on the rocks, climbing up and down deftly, the golden-haired merman among them. Like the first time, when the sky began to darken, the mer-people put their necklaces back on, which made their legs blend together and meld into glowing scaly tails, and dived back into the sea, disappearing beneath the waves.

James went back every day for weeks, watching the golden-haired merman play with his friends and family. Some days he didn't show up, but James would sit there anyway, praying he would come back so James could see him again. It didn't take long before James's mind was overcome with desire and need. He wanted that merman as his so badly. He felt he knew so much about him now; the way his voice sounded, the way his eyes shone when he was happy, the way he loved being able to walk unsteadily over the rocks on his feet, and loved swimming with his tail just as much. He was so beautiful, so perfect. And he'd never even seen James in his life.

Then one evening when James was walking back up to his cottage, he spotted his neighbours and best friends Carlos and Logan, sitting outside their own home, talking happily. The two had been married for a few years now, and loved each other dearly. James wanted the merman and himself to be like that. It didn't matter that they'd never spoken.

"Hello," Carlos greeted cheerfully, beckoning him over. "How's the beach these days? You spend a lot of time down there."

"Oh, you know, just fishing," James replied vaguely. Then he cleared his throat, hoping he wouldn't sound too obvious. "Um, what do you two know about . . . mer-people?"

Carlos just shrugged, but Logan said, "I think they're only in stories, James. Only a few people claim to have seen them in real life."

"It'd be wonderful if they were real, though," Carlos added, smiling like a child.

"I'm not saying they're real, Logan," James said, sitting down. "I just want to know more about them."

"Oh. Well, I know a little. You know I lived by the sea when I was a child, too. My mother used to tell me stories about them sometimes." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I heard they love to sing, and tell stories about the mainland, even though they've never really explored it. They all wear these pendant things; when they take them off their tails change into legs. Unless they're wearing them, they can't breathe under water, they have no tail and they can't go back to the sea. Er . . . the mermaids like to comb their hair? I don't know, I think that's a stereotype. Or maybe it's true. Though considering they probably don't exist I don't think it matters."

"Yeah, I suppose so," James said, thoughts already drifting back towards the sea, and what lived in it.

The next few days were stormy and cold. Though James went back to his usual spot, the mer-people didn't come. Truthfully, he didn't expect them to, but suddenly he found himself wondering all day what they were doing as he sat in his cottage, listening to the howling wind. The stormy weather lasted four days; four dismal days James spent up on the hillside, sometimes with Carlos and Logan, sometimes alone. He just wanted to see the mer-people again. It consumed his every thought and drove him demented.

Then one warm, bright afternoon a few days later, James was walking down the beach when he heard the golden-haired merman singing softly. He knew that voice well by now. He spotted him sitting on a rock at the edge of the waves. He was holding a sharp stone and drawing on the rock with it, long legs swinging back and forth feebly, feet dipped in the water. James spotted his necklace sitting beside him on the rock. He remembered what Logan had said; without the necklace on the merman couldn't return to the sea.

James crept up behind him as he drew and sang, then when he was close enough, he seized him in his arms. The merman screamed and started struggling, but he couldn't escape. James grabbed the necklace and put it in his pocket, then carried the squirming merman up the path to his cottage. As he brought him through the front door, Carlos and Logan emerged from their own home next door. "Who's screaming, James?" Carlos asked, concerned. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing!" James replied breathlessly, placing the shrieking merman onto a chair, holding him there by his slim waist so he couldn't get away.

"Let me go!" the merman cried, fear evident in his jade green eyes. "Give me back my pendant!"

James was shocked to hear the merman speak English, but simply replied, "No."

Logan and Carlos dashed through the open door, eyes wide. "Who is that?"

"He's a merman," James replied excitedly. "He was down by the shore. Look, I have his pendant!" James took it out of his pocket and tossed it on the table. When he saw it, the merman started struggling harder, sobbing.

"You're a merman?" Carlos cried in childlike delight, rushing toward the frightened young man. "Are there more like you? Where do you live? Do you all speak English?"

The merman whimpered at the loud voice, tears sliding down his beautiful face.

"Give over, Carlos, you're frightening him," Logan scolded. He took a step closer to the merman. "Take your hands off him," he said to James, who obeyed but grabbed the necklace off the table, holding it behind his back. The merman didn't try to get up again, hugging himself with his arms, shivering. "Go get him some clothes," Logan said to Carlos, then he turned to the merman. "What's your name?" he asked kindly.

"Kendall," the merman whispered, eyes wide and terrified. Carlos came back from James's bedroom, handing Kendall a pair of trousers and a shirt. With Logan's encouragement, he put them on. He was sat back down in the chair immediately afterward. James's clothes were slightly big on him, the sleeves almost covering his hands. He still looked picture perfect. Suddenly James wasn't surprised people believed mer-people to be in fairy tales.

"Please let me go," Kendall pleaded softly, eyes wide and desperate.

James didn't think. "You're not going back there," he said. "You're staying here. You're going to marry me."

Kendall looked horrified. "What? But . . ."

"Well, you're not going back to the water anytime soon." Carlos and Logan both looked astounded. James didn't care. All that mattered was that he had Kendall.

Kendall bit his lips, drying his eyes. "O-ok. I'll marry you."

James smiled at him, feeling happiness surging inside of him, so strong he almost felt insane with delight. He had Kendall. Kendall was his. Forever. Then Logan had to break the mood, taking him by the arm and pulling him outside. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, looking concerned. "You can't keep him here forever, James."

"Yes I can."

"Why?"

"I need him." James didn't care how crazy it sounded; now that he had Kendall he never wanted to let him go.

Logan looked like he wanted to argue, but just sighed and said, "Just don't be cruel to him."

They just stood there in silence, thinking to themselves, then Carlos came out of the cottage a few minutes later, Kendall's necklace in hand. He handed it over to James. "I thought you'd be angry if I left him alone with this."

"Thank you," James replied, taking the necklace and putting it in his pocket. "What were you talking about?"

"I was asking him about mer-people," Carlos replied cheerfully. "I think he likes me. We could be great friends!"

Logan looked interested. "What did you find out?"

"Oh. Well, they all live at the bottom of the ocean," Carlos said. "They come up here because they like the air, and the sun. They can breathe under water and above it. They don't eat very often, and it's just whatever they can find down there. Um . . . they mate and they only marry afterwards . . . both sexes can reproduce . . . when they're with child, they stay on land for most of it, so long as it's sheltered and there are no humans around. They make those pendants they wear, and when the baby is a few weeks old, they give them one and go back to the sea together."

Logan seemed to find this fascinating, as did James. And when they walked back inside the cottage, Kendall was still sitting there, eyes wide, mouth trembling. But he couldn't leave. So the next day, he and James married. Afterwards, Carlos took Kendall and showed him around the area where they lived. Kendall would never go too far from the cottage, but he liked walking over the long grass on the hills, where Carlos pointed out all the landmarks as they stood at the top.

One day James was going to sell his catches at the market and he decided to take Kendall with him. Everything was going fine as he set up the horse and cart that the four men shared. Kendall was sitting in the front seat next to James, a shawl wrapped around his shoulders to shield him from the cold breeze blowing. Kendall was often sensitive to the cold weather; maybe it was just because he'd lived below the surface for so long. When they were travelling up the road, they turned a corner and James looked back to see that the beach and the sea had vanished from view. Kendall copied the movement, his eyes widening slightly, breath quickening. The shawl tightened around his shoulders, and suddenly he was clutching his chest, whimpering and shivering.

"Kendall, are you alright?" James asked, slowing the horse down.

Kendall didn't answer. Instead he leaped out of the cart, landing on the ground and staggering onto his knees. He was up again in an instant, sprinting back down the path, shawl flying out behind him and landing in a heap on the ground. James suddenly forgot about going to the market, and quickly turned the cart around.

Later, he found Kendall kneeling on the sand at the edge of the sea, the occasional wave reaching him and dampening his clothes. James walked over to him, watching him bent over, fists clenched in the sand, tears streaming down his cheeks. He was also shaking, so James got the shawl he'd recovered from the road and wrapped it around his shoulders. James stroked Kendall's shoulders gently, and Kendall's hands slowly moved up to intertwine with his. James didn't even mind the sand now covering his fingers.

"I'm sorry," Kendall whispered, turning to look at James with sad eyes. "I just don't like being . . . too far from here, I mean . . ."

Suddenly he was crying harder. James pulled him into his arms, and Kendall clung onto him like he really wanted to be there. James hoped things would get better from now on.

They did, and they didn't. There were times when Kendall screamed at him in rage, accusing him of kidnapping and torture, and that he'd hate him forever. But a few months later, Kendall had a baby, and he seemed happy. He would stay home and look after their little son while James worked and went to the village; Kendall still didn't like being too far from the sea. Carlos often spent the days with Kendall; the two had become very close friends over time. He was a good husband to James and often sang his beautiful songs as he worked in the cottage or put the children to bed at night.

One day three years later, James was walking back along the beach with full nets when he spotted a lonely mermaid sitting on a rock, combing her long, tangled brown hair. She was crying softly, singing in a gentle, unhappy voice. Somehow the sight struck a nerve, and James was eager to get back to Kendall. Then he saw his husband standing further down from the beach, level with their home on the hill. He was holding their second child, a little baby girl called Annie. He was staring out at the sea, blonde hair blowing in the wind. James could swear he saw a scaly tail flash above the surface for a few moments. Annie giggled happily, arms reaching out as if she wanted to grab it.

James left Kendall standing there with a lonely look in his eyes and walked back to the cottage. He told Logan about what he saw. "Well, he's always going to want to go back to the sea," Logan said reasonably. "And if you love him, like really love him, you should accept that."

James knew that. And he did love Kendall. But he was selfish, too selfish to let him go back to the sea. He couldn't bear the thought of losing him. But Kendall couldn't leave unless he had the pendant. James had hidden it away, and always changed the hiding-place so Kendall could never find it. There were some days when he walked in and Kendall would be looking through the cupboards, or examining the floorboards. He always made excuses, but James knew what he was really looking for. And he did go down to the seashore with the baby a lot, almost every day, sometimes standing there for hours.

And then one day, James was coming home from the market when he saw Carlos walking up the road, humming cheerfully. "Hello, Carlos."

"Hi, James!" He smiled up at him from the ground. "How was the market?"

"Oh, good. Made quite a lot."

"Well, that's handy. I think your potato pit is almost empty; Kendall went out for some earlier."

"What? Um, ok. Later, Carlos."

James had hidden Kendall's pendant at the back of the potato pit. He hadn't noticed when they'd started running low. He rushed home, bolting through the cottage door. He saw their son David playing on the floor. "Daddy took Annie down to the beach," he said to James when he asked.

James ran down to the beach to see his baby daughter playing happily on the beach. He hurried over to her. "Where's Daddy?" he asked frantically.

Annie pointed out to sea, giggling. That was when James spotted Kendall's clothes strewn on a rock nearby. He picked up his daughter and ran along the beach, calling Kendall's name into the wind. He stayed there for hours, sobbing and calling frantically. When it began to get dark, he gave up hope took Annie home with a heavy heart, ready to care for his family alone.

For weeks afterwards, James didn't see any signs the sea people had been nearby. He never saw his Kendall again. Though often, in the mornings, he would see wet footprints on the cottage floor, and the children's pillows would be damp and smell of the sea. Once James woke up to find his own pillow smelling of the ocean, and a glowing green scale on the floor by his bed.

So one night James lay in wait in the corner of the cottage, watching and listening. He saw Kendall sneak into the cottage, a large frayed shawl wrapped around his shoulders like a cloak, dangling almost to his knees. That and his pale skin almost made him resemble a ghost. James watched him as he cried over their children, kissing them gently as they slept.

When he turned to go, he spotted James at the doorway and froze, eyes widening. He was holding his pendant against his chest almost protectively. He was shaking, suddenly. He walked past James through the door, ready to leave the cottage again. "Wait!" James whisper-shouted before he could get too far.

Kendall turned around, looking anywhere but at James.

"I miss you. The kids do too." When Kendall didn't answer, he moved on. "I just . . . I didn't mean to hurt you."

Kendall looked up at him at last, lips pursed together, eyes glimmering with tears. James walked closer to him.

"Please stay," he whispered desperately. "Please."

A tear fell down Kendall's cheek, his bottom lip trembling. James reached forward slowly, brushing the tear away with his thumb. Kendall didn't pull away, but he whispered back, "I don't belong here."

James shut his eyes, but tears still leaked through his closed eyelids. He felt Kendall's soft lips press against his for a moment, but then they were gone. He let out a shaky breath, opening his eyes again to see nothing but darkness through his blurred vision. He sat down at the small table, head in his hands.

The signs of Kendall's visits appeared less often, and soon they were very rare. The mer-people had never come back. Maybe they were afraid. But he knew that even if they did come, Kendall wouldn't be among them. James still needed Kendall so desperately. He loved him, even if Kendall didn't love him back after all. But there had been moments when he'd held Kendall in his arms during the night, or when Kendall cuddled up to him as he slept. Or those moments when they kissed; it had really seemed like Kendall wanted to stay with him, like he loved him too.

James soon became ill, too wrapped up in his misery and loneliness to notice anything else. Every day Carlos or Logan had to convince him to eat something, to get some fresh air so he wouldn't get really sick. Carlos would look after David and Annie while Logan worked, and they would swap chores as the days went on. "Go out for a walk, Carlos," Logan said one morning. "We'll be alright for a few hours."

So he did, skipping along the beach happily. He walked further than usual, and soon came to a large outcrop of black rock, seaweed hanging over it, dripping into the water. Carlos climbed up and over the rocks, smiling. He loved days like this, with a clear sky and a gentle breeze blowing. Then he spotted a blonde head appear in the water further down. He crept closer to see Kendall picking seaweed off the rocks, gathering it in his hands. He used his arms to half climb up out of the water, picking up more. Carlos stared at his scaly green tail in awe. But then he snapped out of it and clambered down the rocks towards the merman. "Hey, Kendall!"

Kendall jumped, head snapping to look at Carlos with wide eyes.

Carlos moved closer and sat in front of him when it was clear he wasn't going to flee. "I've missed you."

Kendall gave a tiny smile. "Me too."

"Everyone has. Especially James. And David and Annie keep asking about you."

Kendall just sighed, folding his arms and resting his chin on them.

"You're lucky," Carlos continued. "Logan and I . . . we'd love to be able to start a family. But we can't. We'd have to adopt, and we can't even do that right now. And James loves you, so much. He's a mess without you."

Kendall didn't say anything, but Carlos saw grief in his eyes.

"Don't you love him?" he persisted.

Kendall's pale face blushed scarlet. "I . . . don't know. I mean, he basically kidnapped me, imprisoned me. I don't . . . I don't know if I can ever forgive that."

"He only did it because he wanted you so badly. He doesn't think, he just does."

Kendall, again, didn't say anything, but he looked thoughtful.

Carlos sighed. "I can't tell you what to do. Nobody can say for anybody else. But, I really thought you did love him."

Carlos walked away, leaving Kendall there in the water. He didn't tell James that he spoke to Kendall; he didn't want to upset him any more. He spent the rest of the day playing with David, while James sat there with blank eyes. Honestly, Carlos was frightened by it. James was usually so cheerful. He wasn't supposed to mope around all day, or spend every night crying or dreaming of someone who wasn't coming back.

James dreamed of Kendall almost every night. Dreams of finding Kendall washed up on the beach, still and lifeless. Or watching Kendall run from him, screaming before vanishing into the crashing waves. Or the dreams of Kendall laughing, smiling at him as he rocked Annie to sleep, or fed David. In a way, those were the most painful.

Every night was torture. Every day was pure agony.

He needed Kendall more than ever.

He loved him so much it was actually killing him.

It was those eyes that haunted him the most. Green, and deep as the sea, so beautiful and poignant. He saw those eyes in his dreams every night; it was like they were imprinted on the inside of his eyelids.

Tonight wasn't unlike any other. But it was, really. James's eyes snapped open after another taunting vision of him and Kendall together, happy. He could still see Kendall's beautiful green eyes watching him tenderly. Then he realised it. Kendall was there, kneeling on the bed, wearing the long shawl again. The fingers clenching it looked strained, and he looked scared. He was clutching his pendant in one hand. "Hi," he whispered.

James half sat up, eyes widening when he grasped that this was real. Kendall was really here. He tried desperately not to focus on his husband's glowing skin, or the gentle curve of his lips, or those eyes . . . "You said you didn't belong here."

Kendall bit his lip, looking so beautiful James almost felt tears building up. Then Kendall replied softly, "I don't."

"Why are you back here, then?"

"I . . . I had to explain things, to my family . . ."

"Explain what?"

"That I love you."

James stared at him, breath catching in his throat. He sat up straighter, reaching out a shaky hand to stroke the length of Kendall's cheekbone with the tips of his fingers. Then he darted forward, smashing their lips together. He kissed him desperately, tears falling down, lost between their lips as James pulled Kendall closer and into his arms. They kissed most of the night, but eventually Kendall lay down, pulling James with him. Truthfully, James was afraid to go to sleep, but the exhaustion was too much for him, and he lost consciousness within moments.

When James woke up, the first thing he saw was Kendall. He was really there, to stay. The shawl had fallen off him and was now lying on the dusty stone floor, but Kendall had wrapped himself up in the blanket, face buried in James's shoulder. James stared up at the ceiling, smiling to himself. Then the door of his room opened, David standing in the doorway. Then his eyes widened, face lighting up. "Daddy!"

He dashed over to the bed, leaping up excitedly. Kendall jolted awake when David landed on him, yelping in fright. Then he grinned, hugging David back. "Hi, honey. Did you miss me?"

James climbed out of bed and went to fetch Annie. He picked her up and carried her back into the room, placing her in Kendall's arms. Kendall grinned up at him, love evident in his eyes. James got up and fetched clothes for Kendall to wear, picking his pendant and placing it on the dresser. He wasn't going to hide it again.

Carlos and Logan were shocked and delighted to see Kendall back with James. But for a while afterward, James couldn't help feeling paranoid that one morning he would wake up and Kendall would be gone again. But that never happened. There were some mornings when Kendall would kiss James goodbye, take his pendant and be gone for the day, but he always came back when it started to get dark.

"I'm sorry," James said to him one day when he came back from the sea, hair dripping, water beading on his long blonde lashes.

"For what?" Kendall asked, sitting down next to him. He'd come back later than usual, so the children were already in bed.

"For, well, what I did before. This might sound strange, but I used to watch you all the time whenever you came to the shore. And I guess I couldn't control myself."

Kendall only kissed him in response. "I forgive you."

**How was this? ****Lol, the ending of the original is totally different. The mermaid doesn't come back, for one thing. But I wanted to give this one a happy ending. Lol, sorry about the Mpreg references in there, they had children in the original too and I wanted to keep that. REVIEW!**


	3. The Salmon of Knowledge

**The salmon of Knowledge! Lol, with some Kames and Cargan thrown in too :)**

There was once a poet, named Gustavo Rocque. He lived in a cabin by the river, and wrote stories and poems there as he sat by the water. At that time, poets also often worked as teachers, teaching young men about literature and mathematics, and history and music. Gustavo was no different, and during one summer, four boys were brought to his home to study with him. Their names were Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan. They were all sixteen, and eager to learn.

But at the start there were problems. One typical example was when Carlos thought it would be funny to put a frog in the cooking pot for Gustavo to find. It hadn't ended well at all. Gustavo's initial reaction was shrieking, grabbing the pot and flinging it across the room, where it struck Kendall in the stomach and knocked him over. "Who's brilliant idea was this?" Gustavo yelled at the four, once James had pulled Kendall back onto his feet.

Logan's finger was the first to point at Carlos. "It wasn't my fault!" the tan boy argued, forever the innocent one. "James made me do it!"

"What?" James looked horrified. "I did not! I had nothing to do with this!"

"Prove it!" was Gustavo's reply.

"I saw Carlos come in here with that frog earlier, I was with Kendall, he saw it too!" James immediately turned on the blonde with a "Didn't you?" and he nodded quickly.

"I didn't see you," Carlos said with a frown, the previous argument forgotten. "Where were you?"

"We were . . . um . . . hiding, behind the trees . . ." James's face was turning bright red, as was Kendall's. Gustavo decided not to bother asking them about it and punished Carlos by giving half his meal to the dog, Lightning.

Another example was when James had gone walking with Lightning and they'd both come back covered head to toe in mud. They'd both wandered all around the cabin like that, and when Gustavo returned from his own walk, he'd seen nothing but mud splatters all over the floor and walls. In every room.

His response had been sending James and Lightning to the river to clean up (after a lot of yelling beforehand) and getting the other three boys to clean the house. They hadn't been happy, and so began the we're-not-speaking-to-James phase. It had lasted about a week, and the eldest boy had found it complete torture.

"Please talk to me!" James begged after the third day, holding onto Logan's shirt desperately. "I'm sorry, ok?"

Logan had ignored him and stormed off with his nose in the air. Carlos was the same, pushing James away when he attempted to engage him in conversation. Kendall was the first to cave, though it was probably because James had grabbed him and kept him tied to a chair until he spoke to him again. The other two had stopped when Gustavo told them off, saying they had to cooperate with one another if they were to stay with him.

Despite these two incidents, and many others, the four boys got along well with Gustavo, and he was fond of them, though he never said so. He just called them 'dogs' and yelled at them a lot. They got on well in their studies, especially Logan, with the other three close behind. But while Gustavo focused largely on his students, he was slightly distracted.

There was one thing that Gustavo always had his mind on. There was a story, a story he knew was true, about the salmon of knowledge. The salmon of knowledge was a magic fish, with rainbow scales, the fastest and strongest fish there was, and it was said that it lived in the very river that Gustavo lived beside. The first person to tasted the fish became the wisest person in Ireland. But the fish was difficult to catch because of its speed, and his eyes were enchanted; anyone who looked into it's eyes instantly fell asleep.

Gustavo was desperate to catch the salmon; He wanted to become the wisest man in Ireland more than anything. He wanted all the knowledge there was; what he already had wasn't enough. He wanted to keep the salmon a secret from everyone who came to learn from him, but he was getting desperate, so one morning he called the four boys together and explained to them about the salmon. "Will you help me catch it?" he asked them.

At first the boys were reluctant, but they did agree to help him. So they got ready and made their way to the river.

Kendall and James positioned themselves in one spot, while Logan, Carlos and Gustavo went a little downriver. After a while of waiting, the salmon came into sight near James and Kendall. James's net flew out in an attempt to catch it. He missed, as did Kendall as they fumbled with their nets when they tangled together.

Then suddenly the fish leaped out of the water. It blinked its large eyes at Kendall, and he collapsed onto the ground. As James bent down to lift him up, he caught sight of the fish too and fell asleep immediately. Further down the river, Logan saw what happened and ran over to help them. Gustavo could already see that this wasn't going to work. "Go fetch me a cloth," he said to Carlos, who did as he was asked.

When he looked over to see where the other three boys were, he saw Logan leading Kendall and James back to the cabin; they'd been awakened but seemed very dizzy and disorientated, both of them needing support from the smaller boy. When Carlos came back, Gustavo tied the cloth over his eyes, took the fishing net and instructed Carlos to keep telling him where the salmon was. Gustavo and Carlos stood there for a good hour or two, Gustavo manoeuvring the net with Carlos giving him directions. The fish was quick and strong, but they persisted, and eventually Gustavo felt a weight in the net and yanked it out of the river, tossing it onto the bank. He pulled the cloth off his eyes to see the salmon flopping up and down frantically.

Gustavo redirected his attention and grabbed the fish, picking it up in the net and handing it over to Carlos. "Take this to the cooking fire."

When Gustavo got there a few minutes later, Logan was back and sitting on one of the logs around the fire.

"I'm going to check on Kendall and James, see if they're alright," Gustavo said to Carlos and Logan. "You two are to cook the salmon. Remember, not a single taste, ok?"

Logan and Carlos nodded and got to work. As they set the fish up above the fire, they sat on the log nearby and talked. Carlos discovered that Logan didn't have any parents, he lived with his uncle and cousin. Carlos himself had lost his father a year or two ago, so in a way he knew how it felt. As Carlos got up to turn the fish over, a drop of oil from its skin spat up and burned his finger. Carlos squealed in pain, jumping backwards from the fire.

Logan was beside Carlos in an instant, who was now shaking the finger back and forth, tears in his eyes. "Logan, it really hurts," he whimpered; the finger was already red and had a small blister on it. Logan gently took his hand and pressed a kiss to his finger, smiling sympathetically. "Put it in cold water, Carli. It'll soothe it a bit. I'll finish up here."

Carlos nodded. "Ok." He smiled at Logan. "Thank you."

"No problem." Logan finished cooking the fish, a smile glued to his face.

Meanwhile, Gustavo went into his cabin to check on James and Kendall. He walked towards the boys' shared room. The door was shut, which he found strange; it had been open when he left. So he opened it up. His jaw dropped. "What on earth . . .?"

James and Kendall were both on Kendall's bed, James pressed up against Kendall, who was shoved against the stone wall. They were both shirtless, and their lips were attached together, their panting and the occasional moan heard quite easily. They broke apart immediately when Gustavo yelled, moving their hands from around each other to their sides, faces turning bright red.

"What in the name of God are you two doing?" Gustavo demanded, still half in shock. "James, have you forgotten that you're already engaged? And you, Kendall! Your family would be ashamed of you!" He sighed, not really in the mood to tell them off anymore; he was too excited. So he finished with, "Put your clothes on, supper's almost ready," then he left.

When he was gone, James wrapped his arms around Kendall again, kissing him again gently. "He's right; we should go."

Kendall smiled, tracing little circles in his chest. "When are you going to tell your parents that you and Rachael aren't getting married after all?"

"They'll figure it out when I bring you back to them," James replied with a wink, before sitting up and reaching for his shirt. "And what about your family?"

Kendall shrugged as he put his own shirt on. "I'll just have to see. Come on, let's go eat, I'm starving."

When they arrived at the fire outside, the sun was just starting to set and Gustavo had cut up the large salmon, setting pieces on five tin plates. He handed them all a plate and they all sat down. "Alright, remember, I have to eat first," Gustavo said firmly, and they all nodded obediently, and waited patiently.

Gustavo was almost shaking in anticipation as he took the first bite, the boys watching him carefully. As he chewed the food, he found it strange that he didn't feel any different. Surely there would be some kind of sensation . . .?

"Logan, Carlos," Gustavo said slowly. "Did you eat any of the fish before you gave it to me?"

"No," they both replied quickly.

"Not even a tiny taste?" he persisted.

"No," Logan said again, but Carlos frowned and suddenly looked worried.

Four heads turned and glanced at him when he said nothing. "Carlos?" James said slowly, also looking worried.

"Um . . ." Carlos bit his lip. "Well, there was this oil off the fish that burned my finger, and, er . . ."

"Oh, yeah! I kissed your finger better." Suddenly Logan's smile fell. "Oh, yeah. Oh dear."

"You kissed him better? That's so sweet!" Kendall looked delighted.

Gustavo, meanwhile, couldn't believe it. He was devastated; Logan had taken all the knowledge in the world. Gustavo didn't have it, he never would. At first, he was angry, furious that a child had taken this from him, even if it was an accident. Still, it was better one of these students had it rather than one of his many rivals, like Hawk. The thought of him being the wisest man in the country . . . it didn't bear thinking about.

He was proud of these boys, despite their flaws. And how different they were, how the world would be cruel to them because of the way they acted. In a way, they were the best students he'd ever had. His special dogs.

A week or two later, the four boys left Gustavo. James left and took Kendall with him, planning to introduce him to his large family. Gustavo wished them luck, though he still felt as though he disapproved as he watched them walk away towards the cart holding hands. Carlos and Logan also left together; Logan planned to spend the rest of Autumn with Carlos and then go back to his uncle in November. They all had bright futures ahead of them, Gustavo knew that. He'd done his job right.

**Review, maybe?**


	4. The Lost Prince

**I really can't emphasise how much i went off track writing this :) it's a story about Kendall and James, but I just twisted it into being all about Kendall and logan by mistake, lol oh well :D i just loved writing about them living in their little home and stuff. Enjoy!**

_**4. The Lost Prince - Etain and Midir (lol totally converted)**_

Kendall was always a very happy child. He loved to play in the woods and swim in the sea a few miles away. He loved listening to the wind calling his name, "Kendall — Kendall." But most of all Kendall loved his dreams. They were always similar, and he'd been having them for years. He always dreamed of a land where no one ever grew old, a place full of peace and joy. Then when he got older, the dreams began to change. He started to dream of a tall prince with dark hair and hazel eyes coming on a white horse to take him to that land of youth.

"You and your silly fantasies, dreamer," his older brother Logan said both fondly and disapprovingly every time Kendall spoke of his dreams.

Kendall and Logan's father had died in a fight when Kendall was only a baby, and their mother had become ill and passed away when Logan was eleven and Kendall was eight. Logan took over as the parent of the family from there.

They lived in a little cottage a couple miles from the village. They kept pigs and chickens there and sold them on market days. Some they kept to eat in the winter, but there was one pig whose mother had died shortly after its birth that Kendall insisted was his pet, and named it Muck when it was only a few months old, threatening that Logan would have to deal with him if he wanted to try and sell or eat him. Logan didn't bother arguing with him, and Muck was now three years old and followed Kendall everywhere he went. Except the house; Logan was adamant that he slept in the pen with the other pigs.

Logan did a lot of work indoors; he would cook the meals and clean the cottage. Kendall stayed outside, from dawn until dusk some days, looking after the animals and the garden, fetching water or just walking around aimlessly.

"You spoil those beasts," Logan scolded one day when he went out to see Kendall on his knees in the grassy pig pen, stroking two of the pigs' backs and humming a little tune.

"They're going to end up on someone's dinner table," came Kendall's stubborn reply. "And they're going to be treated like kings before it happens."

Kendall would dance around the little cottage they lived in, doing his evening chores and singing happily. Logan would scoff at his behaviour, but when Kendall would grab him by the hand and spin him around, he happily joined in. Logan was always so proper that Kendall's aloof attitude was always a little surprise for him. But he secretly didn't mind it at all; he made every day brighter.

One day Kendall was outside, picking the potatoes from the earth of their little garden and putting them in his basket for storage, singing to himself when a man on a tall black horse came trotting down the path. He didn't pay any attention to him until the man spoke up and said, "Sorry to bother you, but could you point me in the direction of the village where Lord Midir lives?"

"Um . . ." Kendall straightened up, wiping his dirty hands off his shirt. "Yes. It's just a couple of miles down that way, and then you take the right when you come to the fork in the road. Another half-mile and you should see it."

"Thank you," he replied with a smile.

Kendall eyed his sweaty black hair and tan skin, and his horse, which was panting faintly on that hot summer day. "Would you like to come inside, have a drink?" he asked suddenly. "It's a terrible day for travelling, and your horse looks exhausted. You should give it a break."

"Oh. Alright, thank you." The man rode over towards the cottage and dismounted, leading the horse over. Kendall took hold of its reins and led it over to post he often used for Muck, and tied him to it. "I'm Kendall, by the way. Follow me," Kendall said to the stranger, and opened the front door of the cottage, leading him inside. "Logan, we have a visitor!" Kendall said cheerfully as they went inside.

Logan looked up from his place by the dresser, cutting up carrots and turnips for the dinner. "Oh? Who is it?"

"I'm Carlos," the man said for Kendall.

"He's on his way to the village," Kendall added. "I just offered him a drink and a little rest, it's so hot outside." He turned to Carlos. "This is my brother, Logan."

"It's nice to meet you," Carlos said with a smile, as Logan went and filled a cup with water and set it on the table for him. Carlos sat down, gesturing for Logan to sit down too.

"I'll be out tending to your horse," Kendall said, leaving them to it. He grabbed the bucket and left the cottage, walking the distance to the well over by the trees. He went and filled a tin bucket with water and put it down for the horse, then took a cloth, dampened it and began gently cleaning the sweat and dirt off the horse's hair as it gulped the water down. Where he was standing, Kendall could hear everything they were saying inside the cottage, through the little square window.

"He seems very willing to work," Carlos was saying, sounding amused.

"Well, he's an animal lover. Always has been. And he is a hard worker, though he's just a child, really. He just turned sixteen."

_I'm not a child, _Kendall wanted to yell through the window, knowing full well they were talking about him. But he stayed silent, gently cleaning the horse's neck, smiling to himself.

"And you live here alone, the two of you?" Carlos asked Logan.

"Yes, we do. We have for a good few years now. But we don't mind it; we have each other."

Kendall decided this conversation was dull and not worth listening to. He tuned out and started humming again as he finished cleaning the horse off. He gave it a quick pat on the back went back inside the cottage. "Don't mind me," he said to the two sitting at the table, who both smiled at him. "I'm just getting the food for the pigs and chickens." He grabbed the bucket filled with all the little leftover bits of food, and the small sack of grain and left again.

"Muck!" he called, whistling as he went to the back of the cottage where they kept the animals. He heard the animal squeal in greeting, long snout sticking out through one of the gaps in the fence. Kendall reached inside the bag, scattering a fistful of grain over the ground for the chickens, who'd just emerged from the little hut at the sound of his whistle. He scattered some more for them and opened the gate to the pig pen. Muck came trotting out, snorting in content as Kendall walked inside. The pen was large, full of grass and little plants that the pigs ate. He emptied out the bucket of leftovers into the trough for the five pigs, and they all hurried over, burying their snouts in it immediately.

Kendall took the apple he'd been saving for Muck and held it out for him. His snout sniffed at it loudly and he gobbled it up out of Kendall's hand, grunting loudly. Kendall scratched his head fondly and then pushed him over towards the food trough. "I'll see you later, piggy."

He shut the gate of the pen after him and walked off, humming. He could easily find himself drifting away to the dream he had the night before. The handsome prince with the hazel eyes had come again and taken him down to the sea. The last thing he could remember was the prince's white horse coming galloping in over the waves as . . .

"Thank you for caring for my horse. I'll be on my way now."

Kendall snapped out of his daydream to see Carlos standing in front of him, smiling. Kendall smiled back. "You're welcome. Don't forget the directions I gave you."

"I won't." Carlos seemed to look at him a lot longer than the little blonde thought necessary, but eventually he said, "Goodbye, Kendall," and turned around, untying his horse. Within a few minutes he had disappeared down the road. Once he was gone, Kendall dashed inside the cottage where Logan was waiting for him.

"Did you see the fine clothes he was wearing?" Logan said excitedly once Kendall had the door shut. "Who do you think he is? A duke, maybe? Or a lord?"

"Maybe he's a knight," Kendall said, just as excited. "Knights are wealthy, aren't they?"

"Yes, I suppose. Hmm, I wonder."

Kendall laughed, twirling around with his hands in the air. "Imagine, a nobleman in our little home! This could be the start of something, Logie!"

"You're dreaming again, Kenny," Logan replied with a roll of his eyes.

"We'll see, Logan. We'll see."

The next morning the weather was slightly cooler, and it was much easier to see outside, working. Kendall picked up another egg and carefully placed it in his basket. Then another; the rest he would leave to hatch. As he was leaving the hut, he tripped over a stone or something, stumbling a little on the long damp grass. As he turned around to see what had tripped him, he almost lost his balance again and ended up crashing into something as he turned back around. He squealed in fright, jumping backwards. Then he realised who it was.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't see you there . . ."

Carlos was now holding the basket, smiling. "It's fine."

"Are they ok?" Kendall asked as Carlos handed him back the basket.

"I think one of them is cracked. Sorry."

"Oh, that's alright," Kendall replied breezy, walking over to the pig pen and opening the gate. Muck came hurrying out and Kendall gently dropped the egg on the ground for him to eat. "What are you doing back here?" he asked, looking back at Carlos.

"Well, I'm on my way home from the village, and I just thought I'd stop and say hello," Carlos replied, smiling.

"Oh. Well, hello." Kendall smiled, walking back around to the front of the cottage with the eggs. Carlos watched with amusement as Muck followed him, occasionally nuzzling off his legs.

"Do you ever wear shoes?" Carlos asked suddenly, following him and sitting on the large flat stone outside the cottage door.

Kendall gave him a slightly puzzled look. "Well, in the winter I do. I don't see any other use for them."

Carlos smiled at him. "Well, you are extraordinary."

Kendall bit his lip, confused. "Um, thank you . . .?"

Carlos chuckled. "Yes, that was a compliment."

"Well, um, thank you." Kendall blushed slightly. "Well, it's nice seeing you again, but I should probably go—"

"Am I really that boring to talk to?" Carlos teased.

"No, of course not! It's just . . ."

"You can't even spare a minute to talk to me?"

"Um . . ." Kendall laughed. "Alright then." He sat down next to Carlos, Muck immediately flopping down on the grass by his feet. "What were you doing in the village?" he asked.

"I had some business with the Lord," Carlos replied nonchalantly. "It's quite a small place, isn't it? It's nice."

"Yes, I suppose it is," Kendall said with a shrug. "I've never known anything besides it, really, so I can't compare it to anything."

Carlos smiled sweetly. "Well, maybe some day you'll leave here, and you'll see more."

"I doubt that. But it's a nice thought," Kendall said dreamily, stroking Muck's ears.

The door of the cottage opened an Logan appeared. "Oh. Hello, Carlos!" he said cheerfully. "How was the village?"

"Very quiet; I quite liked it," Carlos said with a small smile.

They sat outside, chatting until the sun began to set and Carlos had to start heading home. Carlos visited them often from then on. Twice a week or more he would show up at their cottage, chatting to them, or just stopping by. Logan and Kendall got to know him a lot better, and they became very good friends. It was over a month since they'd first met, and autumn was approaching. One day Carlos and Logan were sitting inside, talking, when something crossed Carlos's mind.

"We're really close, you know?" Logan chuckled. "Sometimes I feel a little like his parent more than his brother."

"Logan, there was something I wondered about . . ."

"He just means so much to me, and I can't help feeling protective of him. He is my little brother, after all." Logan paused. "What were you saying?"

"Well, actually, it's not important. Never mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Carlos said firmly.

The next afternoon Kendall was filling a bucket with turf to bring inside for the colder days when he heard the familiar clopping of horse's hooves on the road. He turned around, grinning up at the tanned man with black hair sitting on the black horse. Carlos dismounted and handed the horse's reins to Kendall, who tied him to the post like he always did. "Hello, Kendall."

"Hello, Carlos," Kendall greeted cheerfully, walking inside with him. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm alright," Carlos replied with a smile. "Hello, Logan," he added with a grin.

Logan smiled back, sitting down at the table. Carlos sat with him, nervously twiddling his thumbs. "Is something wrong?" Logan asked, concerned.

"Oh, I'm . . . nothing really." Carlos looked at Logan. "I guess I've known both of you for a while now. You both mean a lot to me. And, er . . ."

"Is this going somewhere?"

"What I wanted to ask . . . will you marry me?"

Kendall squealed, clapping his hands as Logan's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. There was silence for a second, then Logan smiled and said, "Yes."

Carlos grinned, pulling him into his arms immediately. Kendall watched them with a gigantic grin on his face. "You have no idea how happy I am right now," Carlos said sweetly. "You're exactly who I need with me, ruling the country."

"Hold on, what?" Logan's eyes widened again, as did Kendall's. "What are you talking about?"

"King Carlos of Munster, at your service," Carlos said with a wink, giving a little bow.

"You're the king?" Kendall gaped at him. "What . . . why didn't you say something before?"

"Well, I didn't want your opinion of me to change. Or your brother's decision to be influenced by it." Carlos smiled at Logan, who smiled back sweetly.

"I have a question," Kendall said curiously. "How can you have so much spare time to see us of you're the king?"

"I had my head advisor Kelly take over for me. It was thinking of doing this for a while, and wanted to get to know you both better." Carlos turned back to Logan. "So, you'll come live in my castle with me, and rule with me."

"Yes, of course!" Logan said happily. "But, I have one request."

"Of course, anything."

"Kendall is my only family, and he's coming with us too."

So it was settled. Carlos left with the news that a carriage would come to pick them up the next day. So there was some organising to do; the animals had to be given away, the food had to be given away too so it wouldn't rot. Every thing was going well, but one thing that Logan was very irritated about what was that Kendall was pleading to be allowed bring Muck to the castle with him.

"Kendall, there are plenty of pigs at the castle—"

Kendall's arm had wrapped around the pig's neck in response, a stricken look on his face. "But I don't want another pig. It wouldn't be the same! It would be like you going off and picking out a random boy as your new brother!"

"Kendall, that's completely different."

"No it's not!"

"Kendall—"

"If Muck's not going, I'm got going," Kendall said stubbornly.

Logan sighed in frustration. "Oh, _fine!Bring that damned pig with you. But the others are being sold, end of discussion!"_

Kendall was happy with that, and the next morning they were taken to Carlos's castle. Logan and Carlos married in the palace garden that afternoon. Then Logan and Kendall were left to explore their new home. It was incredible, and so different to what they were used to; the floors were covered with carpets and the walls with beautiful paintings. And it was massive. They found themselves getting lost more than once in its vastness. But they were both happy, very happy.

One thing that bothered Logan was that suitors were beginning to show up at the castle, seeking Kendall's affections and possibly his hand in marriage. Logan managed to scare some of them away before they even met Kendall, others were more stubborn and difficult to chase off. Like that Dak. Logan had resorted to putting a family of rats in his bedroom, and told him quite nonchalantly the castle was always like this and if he wanted to marry Kendall he'd have to deal with it. He didn't stick around. Then there was Wally, who'd had the cook's wild cat set on him in the middle of the night. "This is Kendall's pet!" Logan had said innocently. "They're simply inseparable."

And then Jett. Well . . . that was too horrific to speak of. "I'm so confused, Logie," Kendall sighed as he watched Jett gallop away on his horse fast as the wind. "I thought he liked me. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, of course not," Logan said reassuringly, hiding his triumphant smile. "He's not worth bothering about anyway."

Despite these odd incidents that he couldn't make sense of, Kendall was happy in the castle. Though he mostly stayed outside in the gardens, or in the little farmyard where the animals were kept. He had everything he could ever want and need. Except a husband. But nobody who came to see him seemed interested, and he could put up with that. It wasn't such a big deal.

Then one night Gustavo the storyteller started telling them of the land of Tír na nÓg, a land where no one ever grew old. He told of the handsome, noble prince called James who ruled the land with his mother Brooke. He told of James's husband, the prince Kendall. He said that James had been engaged to a woman named Rachael when he met Kendall, and instantly fell for his beauty and kind heart. He said that Rachael had cried with rage and sworn revenge the day Kendall and James married. Only a week later, Kendall disappeared without a trace from Tír na nÓg.

Kendall suddenly remembered his dreams. Memories were starting to unravel in his brain. Yes, he remembered. He started to realise it; he was the prince who disappeared from Tír na nÓg. He was so confused; this had to be real, it had to be true. If it wasn't, how could he have been dreaming about it all this time? He needed to find out.

So the next morning, he went to find Gustavo and explained what he wanted. "Your story just interested me last night," he said. "I'd like to know more about it, about Tír na nÓg."

"Oh. Well, follow me, Kendall," Gustavo said politely, which was what Kendall insisted on being called by everyone in the castle. He led Kendall down to the library. "I think there's something along here," Gustavo said thoughtfully, pointing at a small shelf of dusty books. "All the stories I tell, though I simplified them a little."

When he left, Kendall looked through the shelf until he found a likely book, titled Land of Youth. He sat in a chair and opened it, flicking through the title chapters until something caught his eye.

_The Lost Prince or Tír na nÓg_

With a slightly unsteady heart, Kendall began to read.

_Prince James of Tír na nÓg was engaged to a kindly woman named Rachael for three months at this time. It is said that the marriage was his mother Queen Brooke's idea, because her son had failed to find a partner for so long. James was riding through the kingdom's largest village when he met a young farm boy named Kendall, singing and walking along the road. He immediately caught the eye of the prince and James began to speak to him, and since then made every excuse to go to the village and spend time with Kendall. James had fallen in love with him and an affair began, and almost a year after their meeting, James announced their engagement to the kingdom._

_Rachael was jealous and angry, and seven days after James and Kendall married, she snuck into the castle in the middle of the night when everyone was sleeping. She cast a spell on Kendall and turned him into a moth. She then took the moth in her hands and brought it down to the sea, where she created a gust of wind to carry it away across the sea, away from Tír na nÓg. Once James realised Kendall was missing, he was heartbroken and began to search the entire country for him. __A rumour tells of the moth being blown across the sea to Ireland. The tiny moth eventually landed in a glass of wine, which it is said to have been drank by an Irishwoman, who became pregnant a month after. According to the legend, Kendall was reborn over a thousand Irish years after his first birth._

Kendall stared at the book, heart pounding. He turned the page to see a colourful illustration, inked into the paper. There were two men, one with dark hair and a crown on his head. The other had golden hair, and a pair of brown moth wings growing from his back. They were holding hands. Kendall looked at them with wide eyes. It was true. He remembered now. He was from that land he'd been dreaming of. And the man in his dreams . . . that was James. His husband.

From then on Kendall was very unhappy. The dreams came back, and he longed for James to come and take him back to Tír na nÓg. But he was so torn; he loved Ireland, and being with James would mean leaving Logan. It drove him insane. He wouldn't eat, and often didn't sleep. Once again he could hear the voices in the wind calling his name. "Kendall — Kendall."

One night the wind was very strong and the voices were very loud. Kendall was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. He sat up in bed, throwing the blanket off with a sigh. He walked over to the window to see what the weather was like outside. Instead he saw a white horse coming over the hill. There was a man riding on it. A tall man with dark hair. Kendall gasped at the sight off him. He came closer to the castle, stopping only a few feet away. As if he sensed Kendall watching him, he looked up at the window, and gave him a huge smile.

"It's you," Kendall whispered, mostly to himself because he knew James couldn't hear him. "You found me."

"Who is that, approaching the castle?" Carlos said in another part of the castle, looking puzzled as he and Logan looked out the window. "A traveller? Or a messenger, maybe?"

Gustavo went and looked too. His eyes widened, and he gasped. "Well, I never . . . that's simply extraordinary."

"What? Who is it?" Carlos demanded.

"It's prince James of Tír na nÓg, of course," Gustavo said with a bemused smile. "He's come for Kendall."

"Why is that?" Logan asked sharply, turning towards him.

"Well, Kendall is his lost husband. Remember the story I told? Kendall was asking about it; he must have known for a while." Gustavo paused. "Did he ever speak of James, tell you of any dreams he had? He must have had some connection to him previously."

Carlos looked at Logan too, waiting for his answer. "No," Logan snapped, completely dishonest. "He never said anything." Logan turned and looked at James one more time, hatred building up inside him. "Gustavo, go fetch the lead guard Hawk, immediately."

"Sir, he's—"

"I don't care what he's doing! Go tell him I want him, and tell the guards to station themselves outside. _Now!"_

Kendall was still standing in his room watching James when Hawk came into his room with another guard. "Prince Kendall. I've been given orders to take you to the dungeon."

"What?" Kendall was pulled away from the window by the guard, who held him tightly by both arms. "Why? Who gave the order?"

"I'm not obliged to say," Hawk replied as the guard led the struggling Kendall down the corridor. "But I've been told it's because of the traveller outside."

Kendall struggled and argued with them all the way down the stone steps that led to the cold, dark dungeon. He was pushed into a cell and locked inside. "Let me out of here!" he yelled as they turned and left. He rested his head against the bars of the cell, eyes squeezed shut to hold in the tears. "James . . ." he whispered. "Where are you?"

He stood there at the bars for a while, shivering in the cold dampness. Then he heard footsteps on the steps. He looked up both hopefully and fearfully. Who was coming? Then Logan appeared around the corner, walking over to the cell.

"Logan!" Kendall said joyfully. Then he bit his lip. "Logan, what's going on? Someone told Hawk to lock me in here! Was it Carlos? What's happening?"

Logan sighed. "I gave the order, Kendall."

"What?" Kendall stared at him on horror. "Why?"

"To keep you safe," Logan replied bluntly. "There's a man outside, he wants to kidnap you."

"What? No, you don't understand! It's James. The man I was dreaming about! Remember?"

"No, Kendall. Your stupid daydreams are not real! This man is just trying to kidnap you, probably for ransom! You're imagining everything!"

"But Logan, I love him—"

"No you don't!" Logan shouted angrily, catching Kendall by surprise. "You're too young for that, you're only a child! And you've never even met him, he's a total stranger!"

"I am not too young, I'm sixteen years old!" Kendall protested. "And he isn't a stranger! Remember what Gustavo said—"

"It's rubbish, it's all nonsense! You're not from some fantasy land, you belong here! And he's not taking you away!" With that, Logan stormed away from the cell and towards the stairs.

"Logan, wait!" Kendall screamed as his brother disappeared from view. "Come back, please! _LOGAN_!"__

Tears built up in his eyes as his voice weakened. "Logan . . ."

"Logan?"

"Yes, what is it?" Logan asked impatiently. His back was turned to Carlos as he stared out the window at James. The prince was just sitting there on his horse, having been pushed back by the guards.

"You locked your younger brother up in the dungeon," Carlos said numbly. "Why did you do it?"

"I have to protect him."

"Are you sure that's what you're trying to do?"

"Yes! I'm not letting that imposter down there take him away! He's my brother and he's staying with me!" Logan paused and bit his lip. "I need him."

There was an awkward silence for a second or two.

"You shouldn't let your own feelings and selfishness come before the happiness of people you care about," Carlos said softly. "I didn't."

Logan spun around to face him, eyes wide with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Carlos sighed. "I just . . . I always told myself I wouldn't tell you this, but here goes. That day, when you spoke of how protective you were of Kendall, the day before I proposed to you, remember I was going to ask you something, and I changed my mind? Well . . ." Carlos bit his lip.

Then Logan realised. "Oh my God," he said quietly. "You were going to ask me about Kendall. You were going to ask Kendall to marry you instead of me."

Carlos nodded sadly. "I wish I could deny it, but that would make me a liar. The truth is, I realised he really isn't my type. He's so young, and naive, and so different from me. But you weren't. And that's why I fell in love with you."

"Good to know," Logan said sarcastically, arms folded.

"Logan, I love you. I do. I didn't love Kendall. I liked him a little, but I never loved him. And I cared too much about the way you felt about him to try and take him away from you either way. I swear on all I own, as well as my heart that I'm telling the truth."

Logan gave a small sigh. "Well, I suppose you're right in a way, but . . . how can I ever let him go?"

Kendall was crying softly as he sat curled up on the little stone bench in his cell. His hands were clasped together tightly, "Please, James, come and save me," he prayed quietly.

The wind outside picked up, and he heard one long loud whisper of his name. Then a little light appeared in the corner of is cell. Kendall spun around in fright only to see James emerge from the darkness, walking towards him. Kendall stood up with wide eyes. "Um . . . h-hi," he said, so shocked at seeing his husband there that he really didn't know what else to say.

James smiled at him, his hazel eyes lighting up. "Do you remember me?" he asked, stepping closer to him.

"I . . . Yes. Of course I do." Kendall stared up at him with wide eyes. "Not a lot, but I remember enough."

James looked around the dark, dreary cell for a moment. "What are you doing down here? Did you commit a crime?"

"No. My . . . my brother locked me in here, to keep me away from you," Kendall replied shyly.

"Your brother? That's terrible." James looked so devastated, and the expression looked so familiar that Kendall couldn't help giggling to himself.

"What is it?" James asked him.

"Nothing, really." Kendall bit his lip, smiling. "It's just, you look like Muck when it's raining and he gets wet . . ."

"Muck?" James looked puzzled.

"He's my pig. I mean . . . sorry," Kendall murmured, cheeks turning dark red. "I guess I'm nothing like you expected."

James shook his head, wrapping Kendall in his arms. "You're better than I expected. You haven't really changed at all."

"How long has it been for you?" Kendall asked quietly.

"Not very long, in a literal sense. A couple of years. Time is very different, much slower in Tír na nÓg; that's how we all stay so young."

"Oh." Kendall really didn't know what else to say to that.

"It felt like forever," James added, smiling so lovingly at him it almost brought tears to his eyes. "Every day was agony without you."

Kendall looked up at him, smiling in slight awe. "I just . . . James, are you here to take me home?"

"Of course. Is that a problem?"

"I . . . I don't know." Kendall couldn't help himself; he rested his head on James's shoulder, sighing mournfully. "I mean, I want to go with you, but my brother is here, and I don't want to leave him." He looked up at James, wishing he didn't have tears in his eyes. "James, I know what you're thinking, but . . . what should I do?"

For a second James just stared at him. Then he leaned forward a little. Kendall's breath hitched in his throat as the brunette's lips touched his. He'd never kissed anyone before, but somehow it felt right, and he felt at ease. He cautiously wrapped his arm around James's neck, hand tangling in his soft hair. James was holding him so gently . . . and he knew that if he lost James again, he wouldn't be able bear it.

Kendall barely heard the footsteps making their way back down to the dungeon. Kissing James sent little electric shocks down his spine and made his head spin at the same time.

But he heard a gasp and pulled back, looking outside the cell to see Logan, Carlos and Hawk standing there. Logan looked shocked and horrified. "How did you get in there?" he snarled at James. "You're an intruder!"

James didn't say anything, he just held Kendall tighter. Logan watched how Kendall held him back with angry eyes. "Logan, please don't be angry with me," Kendall said softly.

Logan sniffled, blinking rapidly to try and stop himself from crying. He didn't want this to happen. If he was honest, he'd always been dreading the day Kendall would grow up and find somebody. But he really hadn't expected it to be like this. He slowly signalled for Hawk to unlock the door. When he did, Kendall came out holding James's hand tightly.

"I'm not angry," Logan replied just as softly, a few tears beginning to slide down his cheeks. "I'm just . . . I hope you're not the one angry with me."

"N-no, I couldn't be, I . . ." Kendall swallowed, wiping at his eye with his free hand. "You're my brother. I love you."

Logan smiled at him. At the same time Kendall let go of James's hand, diving forward and throwing his arms around Logan, hugging him tightly. Logan was hugging him back, and they were both crying, huge salty tears falling as they held each other tightly. "Do you really have to go?" Logan whispered in his ear.

Kendall hugged him a little tighter, replying, "I belong with him. I love him, Logie."

Logan nodded. "I know." They both pulled back slightly. "I'm going to miss you, so much," he added miserably.

"I'll miss you too." Kendall gave a small smile in a futile attempt to lighten the mood. "Take care of Muck for me?"

The trip up to the front doors of the castle was agonising. Kendall and Logan couldn't let go of each other, and we're just struggling not to fall apart all over again. When they got outside, James's horse was waiting for them. He hopped up, then gave Kendall a hand up too. "Bye, Logie," he said one last time, giving a feeble wave.

Logan waved back from the ground, locked in Carlos's arms. "Bye, dreamer."

Logan watched the horse gallop away until it had disappeared from view. He found he couldn't control his sobs as Carlos led him back inside. His baby brother was gone. His whole family was gone. Logan spent the next few days curled up in bed, doing nothing but think of Kendall and cry. Kendall's first steps, which he'd witnessed at age three but could still remember so well. When their mother died and he'd had to explain it all to a little blonde boy with large sad green eyes. When Kendall had adopted that stupid pig . . .

When he eventually stood up again, Logan devoted all his time to looking after Muck. He was his last connection to Kendall and he couldn't bear to let him go. Every day he went down to that pen, hearing Muck's disappointed little grunts when he was it was Logan and not Kendall coming to see him. "You miss him too, don't you," Logan would say softly, trying to hold the tears in.

Muck didn't understand. He would keep grunting and nudging at Logan's legs, as if to demand where his owner was. "He's not here anymore," Logan whispered one day when the animal just wouldn't give in. "He's gone away. He left both of us." When Muck only snorted and nudged him a bit added, he turned on him, suddenly fuming. "He's gone, you stupid animal!" he screamed, angry tears sliding down his cheeks. "He's not coming back, he's gone forever! Just get over it!"

Only a year later Muck died of some illness, and Logan cried for three days. Every night he would dream of seeing his brother again. But he never did. Years passed, and the dreams kept coming, but Kendall never came. Logan didn't expect him to. He just grieved over it, sometimes with Carlos comforting him, other times alone. He grew weak as he got older, ill and de-motivated. It was a broken heart, the doctor said. He lost Carlos in a battle soon after, and at only sixty he found himself lying on his deathbed, ready to welcome the peace and quiet with opening arms.

It was almost midnight. And the pains in is chest were keeping him awake but disorientated. He heard his bedroom door open and little light footsteps approaching his bed. He recognised them immediately, and opens his eyes both eagerly and reluctantly.

And there he was. Still young. Pale and slim, looking not a day older than sixteen, a long cloak wrapped around his shoulders. He was crying softly as he watched Logan. "You came," Logan whispered, hand stretching out weakly.

Kendall took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Of course I did. I received news that you were . . ." He stopped, swallowing. "You don't have much time left."

"I know," Logan said weakly, already starting to feel himself slip away. He didn't mind; he would die happy now. "At least I got to see you."

Kendall smiled at him, wiping at his eye with his free hand. He gave Logan's hand a last gentle squeeze. "Goodnight, Logie. I love you."

"I love you too, Kenny," Logan whispered, before his eyes drifted shut and he slipped away.

**Well, there you go. I got all emotional writing the end :( please review, it makes me happy!**


	5. James and the Wicked Fairy of Tara

**I really hope you like this one! XD**

_**5. James and the Wicked Fairy of Tara**_

James's father was a very brave man. He lived most of his life as the leader of the Fianna, a brave group of warriors who served the country any time they were needed. However, he fell ill and passed away when his son was seventeen years old. James was determined to follow in his footsteps and become leader of the Fianna. This was one of his ultimate two ambitions. The other was to marry. He didn't know why, but he felt the perfect life wouldn't be complete without somebody to spend it with, without somebody to love.

"You know, they might offer you a place when you are older," James's best friend Carlos suggested one morning.

James shook his head at this. "If they do, it won't be the position I'm seeking," he said. "And I'll not wait another three or four years until they decide I'm old enough."

Carlos just tagged along with James's headstrong adventures, admitting to enjoying them at times. However, on this particular day, in the village they'd grown up in, James came to Carlos with what he saw as a particularly daring and ridiculous mission.

"I'm going to go and see the king," James said determinedly. "I'm going to his castle, in Tara."

"Why?" Carlos asked, completely bemused. "What possible reason could you have for that?"

"Because," James replied bluntly. "He can make me leader of the Fianna. I want to be leader. Doesn't it add up in your head?" Armed with his spear and shield for safekeeping, he turned to Carlos. "Will you come with me, or not?"

Meanwhile, in an upstairs room in the castle of Tara, prince Kendall stood by the window, gazing out longingly at the rolling green hills and tall trees he could always see, but never touch. His servant, Logan, whose purpose was to wait on him at all times, was sitting in a chair by the bed, the silence slightly uncomfortable. "You seem unhappy today, Kendall," Logan said at last. Kendall insisted Logan didn't call him 'Your Highness' or anything vaguely similar, and Logan admittedly preferred it that way.

"That's because I am," Kendall replied quietly. "I am unhappy."

"Why?"

"Well, you know the majority of the reason already. My father has been trying to find me someone to marry," Kendall said with a sigh. "Preferably a husband, he says. He says he wants me to be looked after when he's not around anymore."

"And . . . this isn't what you want?" Logan asked slightly hesitantly.

"Well, not yet. I'm barely sixteen, it's just so soon . . . and it's not only that, whoever I'm married to, they will be chosen by my father. I'll have no say, it won't matter how they are personality-wise. If my father likes them, then they become a prince and I become theirs. For the rest of my life . . ." Kendall sighed and ran a hand through his golden hair, turning around to face the shorter boy. "You're lucky, Logan. You get to live here, you have no financial struggles, and you still aren't tied to anybody."

"In a way, I am tied to you," Logan said with a smile.

Kendall bit his lip, nodding. "Yes, I suppose. And am I that much of a nightmare to spend all your time with?"

"Kendall, not in the slightest," Logan replied honestly. He really had grown to love Kendall as a brother. Pretty much a younger one, considering he was often there to give him advice and a shoulder to lean on, or cry on. He could still remember a night less than six months ago, when Kendall was only fifteen. A lord had come to the castle, seeking Gustavo's approval to marry Kendall. He was only there for the riches, and everybody knew it except for the king. He had been so awful, such a terrible person to be with, and Kendall had returned to his room after spending an evening with him, and had just burst into tears once there was nobody around but Logan. However, the lord had been caught stealing from one of the chambers and was sent away, lucky he hadn't been executed.

Kendall smiled warmly at Logan, green eyes sparkling. "I love you, Logan," he said. "I don't know if this feeling is mutual, but I'm going to tell you anyway that you really are my best friend in the whole world."

Logan walked up to Kendall, giving him a hug. "The feeling is mutual, trust me on this one."

There was silence for a moment or two, then Kendall spoke up again. "Logan . . . can I ask a favour?"

"Um, yes. Anything."

"I want to leave the castle."

"What?" Logan jumped backwards. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No, just listen! It's only for one day. I just want to see what it's like outside the castle grounds, I may never get the chance again! Please, Logan!"

"Kendall, tomorrow is Samhain! As in, that night when the fairies and the spirits come out, I'd rather be safe in here than out there with all of them creeping around!"

"We'll leave tonight, and we'll be back before sunset tomorrow, I promise! My father won't even notice I'm gone!" He paused. "You don't have to come with me if you really don't want to. I'll go by myself."

"Pfft, absolutely not!" Logan scoffed. "As if I'm going to let you go off out there on your own!"

"So, you'll come with me?" Kendall said, face lighting up.

"Of course I will," Logan replied, grinning when Kendall dashed forward and gave him a huge hug.

"Thank you, thank you!" he cried in joy, hopping up and down. "Ok, so how should we do this? We need a plan . . ."

"James, this isn't going to work—"

"Of course it is," James replied breezily, striding up the hill to where the castle was situated on the morning of Samhain. "Just watch, you'll see."

"But—"

"Shh. Hello, sir."

The guard stared them down, unimpressed. "May I help you?"

"We want to see the king," James said confidently.

The guard raised his eyebrows. "State your names and your business."

"I'm James Diamond, son of Flynn Diamond—"

"Flynn?" The guard immediately stepped inside the door. "Follow me. The king may be busy but I'm sure he will find time for you."

"Thank you," James said with a grin, patting Carlos on the back as they followed the guard down the long hallway. He led them to large double doors, and opened them to lead them into the throne room. King Gustavo was sitting in his throne, head in his hands. There were several men standing around him, some dressed in soldier's uniforms, all speaking on the tops of their voices.

James and Carlos inched closer to see what was going on. "I don't know what to do, alright!" Gustavo shouted, drowning all their voices out and bringing them to silence. "Ailen is going to come here and attack the castle again, and there is nothing I can do about it!"

James turned to Carlos. "Who's Ailen?" he whispered. "What do you know about this?"

"Ailen is a fairy," Carlos replied quietly. "Every year he comes out on Samhain like the other evil spirits, and he attacks the castle. He shoots flames from his mouth and sets the whole place on fire. Many of the soldiers have tried to guard the castle and drive him away. But they say he has a magic flute, and plays music to put them all to sleep. A lot of them ended up killed by the flames, or so I hear."

"What will become of us?" Gustavo shouted in frustration. "And don't bother offering to guard, any of you! He's defeated you all before!" He sighed. "But who can I find to help me?"

"I'll do it!" James shouted, catching all their attention.

Carlos yelped in shock, elbowing him in the ribs. "What on earth are you doing?" he hissed.

James ignored him. "I can protect your castle," he told the king bravely. "I can defeat Ailen."

The men surrounding the throne burst into laughter, though it didn't sway him in the slightest. "You're only a child!" one of them roared with laughter. "How in the name of God do you expect to even survive the night?"

James ignored them all, staring directly at Gustavo. "You look slightly familiar to me," the king said thoughtfully. "What is your name?"

"James Diamond," James replied steadily.

"Flynn Diamond's son?" another of the men gasped. "Well, there you go! A mere child, of sixteen—"

"Seventeen, and eighteen in three months," James corrected calmly.

"As if that matters! Your Highness, he's simply incapable of helping you!"

But Gustavo was still watching him thoughtfully. "I'm desperate!" he said at last. "If you can protect my castle and defeat Ailen once and for all, you will take your father's place as leader of the Fianna. Though I hope you realise, it will take a lot of work for someone your age."

"Yes, of course I do, absolutely!" James replied quickly, face lighting up. "Thank you, Your Highness! I won't let you down!"

That evening as the sun was starting to set and the sky was starting to darken, James and Carlos stationed themselves outside the castle, Carlos extremely worried about the whole thing. "Do we really have to do this?"

"Carlos, don't you want to help the king, even if he isn't offering us anything? Ailen attacks his castle, tries to hurt everybody inside. Don't you want to stop that?"

Carlos grumbled to himself, tightening his hold on his spear. "If we both get burned to a crisp I'm blaming you."

Meanwhile, around the corner, Kendall and Logan were running up the hill towards the castle, cloaks wrapped around the ragged clothes they'd put on the night before to blend in with the villagers. Logan had literally had to drag Kendall away from the town, the blonde reluctant to leave the amazing and unfamiliar scene behind him. "Maybe you'll get to go back someday," Logan reassured Kendall as they walked towards the door to where the kitchens were.

"If I'm very, very lucky," Kendall sighed. Then he turned and spontaneously gave Logan a huge hug. "Thank you so much, for coming with me. You, you seriously don't know how much that meant to me."

"You're welcome," Logan replied with a grin, hugging h back before pulling away. "Now, let's just get inside before it starts to get dark."

Kendall turned and pulled the latch on the door. It didn't open. He pulled again, harder. "Oh no . . ." He knocked on the door loudly with his knuckles, before grabbing the handle and trying to tug it open again. But it was no use. The door was locked. They must have locked it because it was Samhain, but he hadn't thought, he hadn't realised—

"Damn it," Kendall swore, before turning to look at a terrified Logan. "Logan, I'm so sorry, I had no idea this would happen—"

"Who's there?" a voice called. Kendall and Logan froze in fear as two men strode out towards them. One of them was very tall with long brown hair, the other small with short black hair, both with tan skin. They were both very handsome, but now really wasn't the time to notice that. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Don't tell them who you are," Logan whispered urgently. "They may be criminals."

Kendall took the advice on board immediately. "We both work in the castle," he told the two men. "We were down in the village, and now we can't get back inside."

"That's right, you can't," Carlos replied, while James was just standing there, staring a little and wanting to know more about the beautiful young man with the golden hair standing in from of him. "What are your names?" he asked, before he could help himself.

"Logan, and his name is Kendall," Logan said slowly. "We both work in the kitchens. And yours?"

"His name is Carlos, and I'm James Diamond," James replied, unable to hide his identity from the both of them. "We're here to guard the castle from Ailen, and in return the king will make me leader of the Fianna, like my father Flynn."

"Well, good for you," Kendall replied with a sweet smile. "But you'll need to be quick to stop Ailen."

"He's the best there is," Carlos commented. "And once he's achieved the position he deserves, we'll be going back to our village to resume training." He paused. "You two will have to stay with us, I suppose. But you need to stay quiet."

"We can do that," Logan said quickly, leading Kendall right up to where they were standing. "Where should we stay?"

And so the four positioned themselves outside the front of the castle, James and Carlos armed with their weapons, Kendall and Logan standing next to them. It was starting to get dark, and they all knew it was only a matter of time before Ailen and the other spirits emerged to cause trouble. "You know," James said to Kendall with a smile. "You can hide behind me if you're scared."

Kendall laughed a little nervously. "Oh please, I'm not scared at all."

Then there was a rustling in the nearby bushes, Kendall jumping in fright and grabbing onto James's arm without thinking. James chuckled fondly, shaking Kendall's hand off and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I believe you. But I think you should stay close, just in case."

Kendall rolled his eyes, but leaned in against James anyway, hoping the taller man wouldn't notice the blush on his cheeks. They stood there as it started to get dark, and soon enough the sky was only lit up by a half moon and a few stars, and the air had become considerably colder. Kendall shivered slightly, tightening the clock around is shoulders. He wasn't used to being outside at night.

Then suddenly there was more rustling heard, and the sound of eerie flute music filled the air, slow and hypnotising. "It's Ailen," James hissed. "Quick, cover your ears."

But before they did, Logan grabbed hold of Kendall's wrist. "Kendall, get behind us," Logan whispered urgently. "If Ailen sees you—"

"Shut up, Logan," Kendall hissed, worried that James or Carlos heard. But he did as he said and stood behind the other three, hidden from view.

They all kept their ears firmly covered, and Kendall genuinely wondered how nobody had done this before. Still, maybe they had and the fire from Ailen's mouth had destroyed them anyway. Then a shadow appeared only a small distance away from them. It was Ailen, holding his flute in his hands. The four uncovered their ears when they saw the music was no longer being played, and the evil fairy looked furious that they hadn't been put to sleep.

James picked up his spear and shield, and just like that he was running across the ground, the fairy's eyes following him angrily before he shot out a burst of fire right at the soldier, which he easily dodged. Carlos was next to react and dashed over to the side, picking up his shield and running across the grass, acting as a distraction for the evil spirit.

Logan ran towards Carlos, picking up the Latino's discarded spear. Kendall was going to run after them but the next thing he knew, Ailen was right in front of him, and he had nowhere to run. Kendall's eyes widened in horror as Ailen looked directly at him. The evil fairy's face twisted into an evil grin, and Kendall could see wisps of smoke drifting out through the gaps in his teeth. Kendall found he was completely frozen even as Ailen opened his mouth and he saw a flash of red and orange as the fire flew out towards him. He shut his eyes and waited for the blow, a hand over his face as if that would do any good. He heard Logan screaming his name, and he was sure he was going to die—

But then Kendall was falling, and he was hitting the cool grass with a thump, the breath knocked out of him. He could feel something solid lying on top of him, then a voice in his ear, "Are you alright?"

Kendall turned his head with slight difficulty, and literally came nose-to-nose with James. "Yes," he replied softly. "I'm fine."

"Good." James quickly leaped off Kendall, pulling the blonde up with him. "We almost saw the end of you there—"

"Duck!" Kendall shouted in fright, grabbing James's shoulder and pulling him towards the ground. A wave of hot fire shot over their heads, striking the stone wall behind them. "Quick thinking, blondie," James complimented with a smile, straightening up. "I'm impressed."

"James!"

James and Kendall turned to see Carlos and Logan standing a small distance away, dodging as Ailen turned to fire at them. Then without warning, Carlos took hold of his metal shield and flung it at Ailen, the shield spinning like a disk throug the flames until it hit Ailen, striking him in the chest and knocking him to the ground. James realised the plan and grabbed hold of his spear, sprinting towards the fallen fairy who was getting to his feet. But before he could so anything else, James's spear struck him straight thro the chest, stabbing his heart.

Kendall watched in horror and amazement as Ailen let out a scream of pure pain and anger, before he slowly dissolved into wisps of smoke, floating away without a true and leaving James's spear lying on the ground. James picked it up slowly, turning to smile at the other three. "And Carlos thought I couldn't do this," he laughed triumphantly.

"It's true, I didn't," Carlos muttered in slight bemusement. "Job well done, Diamond. Your father would be proud."

James grinned at him, before running up and giving him a hug. "Thank you, Carlos."

He pulled back, smiling at Kendall and Logan too. But mostly Kendall. "I suppose all that's left is waiting until morning comes and the door opens for us," he said with a sigh, moving over toward the castle wall and sitting down, leaning against it. Kendall went over and sat next to him, Carlos and Logan sitting together on James's other side.

"You know, just because Ailen is gone doesn't mean there aren't other spirits nearby, waiting," Kendall said at last, smiling up at James.

"Hmm."James grinned. "Now that I think about it, you're right. We should keep each other safe." With that he wrapped an arm around Kendall's shoulders, grinning down at him. Kendall shifted so he was curled up against James, his head on the man's shoulder as he shut his eyes. James leaned his head on top of Kendall's, letting his own eyes drift shut too . . .

"Kendall? Kendall, wake up."

"I'm not asleep," Kendall mumbled, eyes fluttering open. He came face to face with James again.

James smiled down at him. "It's morning. Can't you hear the guard calling us?"

"Mmm . . ." Kendall lifted his head up a little, turning towards the sound. "Yeah, I do . . . Logan, can you hear it?" As Logan nodded in response, Kendall's eyes widened as he realised what that meant. "Shoot, we have to go!" He squirmed out of James's arms and leaped to his feet, Logan following suit when he realised what he was talking about.

James and Carlos got up too, both disappointed that they were leaving. "Can't you come in with us?" James asked sadly.

"No, we'd be in huge trouble," Logan replied quickly, grabbing Kendall by the hand and trying to pull him away. "Kendall, come on, kitchen door is this way."

Kendall looked up at James, trying to resist Logan tugging at his arm. "Um, goodbye."

"Goodbye," James said softly.

"Thank you again, for saving me," Kendall said sweetly. Then in a moment of confidence, he stood up on his toes and kissed James on the cheek. "Don't mention it to anyone that we were here, ok? We really will get into huge trouble if you do."

"Your secret will be safe with me," James managed to reply, watching as Kendall and Logan turned and ran off around the corner. He found his hand resting on the cheek where Kendall had kissed him, his face breaking into a smile. "Carlos, he kissed me!"

"Congratulations," Carlos replied dully, clapping slowly. "Can we go inside now? I'm starving!"

Meanwhile, Logan and Kendall were sprinting up the stairs towards Kendall's room, hoods pulled over their heads so they wouldn't be recognised. They dashed into Logan's room on the way there, Logan snatching a handful of his regular clothes before they hurried into Kendall's room, shutting the large wooden door behind them and proceeding to change out of their rags at the speed of light. Kendall shoved the discarded disguises into the chest by the window, turning around and giving Logan a relieved smile. "No one is any the wiser." He walked over to his bed, flopping down and lying back against the pillows. He thought of James again and found his face getting hotter, laughing a little to himself. "He was so charming, Logan. And brave."

"I could say the same for his companion," Logan replied with a laugh as he walked over to stand by the bed, knowing full well who Kendall was talking about. However, his smile fell as he went to sit next to Kendall. "But, you know you can never be with him. He's only a soldier, a peasant in your father's eyes."

"Well, maybe there is a chance," Kendall said earnestly. "Maybe—"

A knock on the door cut him off. "Kendall?" the voice called.

"Come in, father!" Kendall answered, sitting up.

The king walked in, eyes falling on both of them instantly. His eyes narrowed disapprovingly. "Sit up straight, Kendall!" he ordered. "You are a prince, not a peasant in a pig sty!"

"Yes father," Kendall murmured, immediately straightening up with a fallen expression on his face.

Logan watched him sympathetically, before turning to the king, "Your Highness, what happened last night? There was no attack on the castle."

Gustavo's face broke into a delighted smile. "Ailen was defeated, I presume, by a very brave and very headstrong young man. I am walking down to meet with him shortly, to send him on his way so he can begin his training back in his home village."

"That's wonderful," Kendall said quietly with a smile. "You must be very happy."

"Oh, I am. Now, the next thing on my list is to find you a husband . . ." The king left the room, murmuring to himself about his plans.

As soon as he was gone, Kendall groaned and fell back on the bed. "I suppose that's the end of that, then. Unless he ever comes back here, which I doubt." Kendall turned to smile at Logan. "But if you should ever want to visit Carlos, I'll gladly give you permission."

Logan gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, though I doubt I can pluck up the confidence for that."

There was silence for a few moments, then Kendall started to laugh. "What's funny?" Logan asked.

Kendall turned to look at him, giggling. "It's just, I told you they'd never realise we were missing. Maybe I could just run away, and by the time my father realised I would be long gone."

"Please never do that," Logan replied worriedly.

"Relax, I won't. It's merely another dream to never be fulfilled."

A month passed since the night of Samhain. James and Carlos both trained hard in their village, from dawn until dusk some days, hoping that soon enough they could take their places in the Fianna. Kendall and Logan remained in the castle, Logan beginning to focus on the task of teaching Kendall history and geography by Gustavo's instruction. Almost every day they talked about Carlos and James, and wondered if they would ever see them again. Carlos and James were the same, thinking of Logan and Kendall all the time. One early morning, James left the village in secret and travelled to the castle, making his way through the door of the kitchens where Kendall had gone that morning, but nobody working there knew of a kitchen servant named Kendall. He persisted for a while, describing the blonde as best he could, but none of the servants acknowledged that he even existed.

Then one day, a messenger came into the village to bring James and Carlos to the castle, because the king was looking to speak with them. They didn't understand why, which was the reason they were both a br nervous walking into that throne room. "You summoned us, Your Highness?" James said slightly timidly.

"Yes, I did."

"May I ask why?"

"Well, I don't think you have enough," the king said slowly.

"I don't understand, sir," James replied, truly confused.

"I've just been thinking . . . you saved my castle, and everyone in it. My advisors, my servants. Surely there just be something else I can give you . . ."

"Well, the position is all I came for—"

"I have it!" the king cried in joy, snapping his fingers. "My son!"

"I don't understand, sir," James said again.

"My son, the prince! He has been looking for a husband for quite some time now. Take his hand, and you will become a prince too. You will continue your training with the other soldiers and live in this castle, treated like royalty. Both you and your companion. Please, accept my offer."

"I . . ." James was taken aback. Marry the prince . . . and become royalty, but still get to fight in the Fianna like he wanted? It was an encouraging nod from Carlos that made up his mind. "Thank you, Your Highness. I . . . I mean we, we accept your offer."

"Fantastic!" the king replied joyfully, immediately turning to a servant standing by his side and murmuring a message to him. The servant left the room immediately. "Now, James and Carlos, we must discuss the matters of rooming, along with your schedules for training . . ."

Kendall and Logan were sitting in the prince's room, Logan sitting there with a book in his hand, patiently teaching Kendall the history of the Irish church. "I can't stand this," Kendall sighed, stretching and yawning with a hand over his mouth. "I don't know how you can bear to teach these things, Logan."

Logan chuckled fondly, shutting the book with a snap. "It's part of my job, and I absolutely hate it. I think we both need a break."

"I agree," Kendall laughed, sitting back in his chair. "At least my father isn't teaching me like he planned to, that would have been unbearable."

"Sit up straight, Kendall!" they both mimicked at the same time in deep voices, Logan almost doubled over with laughter.

A knock on the door silenced them both immediately. Kendall quickly got to his feet, straightening his clothes and standing up tall, for fear that it was his father ag the door. "Come in."

He sighed wth relief when a servant walked into the room, relaxing his stance immediately. "Hello. What do you seek?"

"Prince Kendall," the messenger greeted. "Your father sent me. You are to come down to the throne room to meet your fiancée."

"My . . . what?" Kendall stared at him. Logan's jaw dropped and he quickly got to his feet to stand beside Kendall.

"Your fiancée, your Highness," the messenger repeated. "As far as I know, he has done the king a great favour and your father decided you would marry him in return."

"Um . . . ok, I, I'll be there in just a minute," Kendall replied quickly. "Tell them, will you?"

"As you wish, your Highness," the man said, giving a quick bow before leaving the room.

Kendall just stood there, staring into space. "Kendall?" Logan said hesitantly, frowning at him. "Are you alright?"

"I didn't even get to meet him, Logan," Kendall whispered, tears in his eyes. "I don't even know this man's name, and I'm marrying him."

"Kendall . . ."

"Father just gave me away! I'm not a prize, to be won or passed around! I . . ." Kendall swallowed, and composed himself, standing up straight. "Ok. I'm going to go down."

"I'm going with you," Logan said firmly, honestly wondering how his friend was keeping it together. "That's what friends do."

"Thank you," Kendall replied with a small smile. He turned and left the room, Logan following closely behind him. They walked the long trek down the hall, down the staircase and down the other hall to the throne room. Kendall stopped in front of the door, taking a deep, shaky breath. It was only when he felt Logan give his hand a quick squeeze that he had the courage to open the door.

Kendall and Logan walked into the room. They both gasped, because the only men there besides the king and the servants were James and Carlos. Their own eyes widened when they saw the two standing at the door. "It's you!" the four exclaimed in unison.

"You know each other?" Gustavo said, sounding surprised. "How?"

"Um, a long and complicated story, sir," James managed to say, unable to believe his luck. He saw the fine clothes Kendall was wearing and figured it out immediately. Kendall was the prince he was going to marry. Now he had everything he wanted.

Kendall and Logan both looked happy to see them. However, the four turned their attention back to Gustavo when he cleared his throat. "Well, then, James," he said. "I trust you are happy with this exchange, then?"

"Exchange?" Logan exclaimed furiously. The whole room fell silent and everyone stared at him, but Logan honestly didn't care when he saw that hurt expression on Kendall's face at his father's words. An exchange.

"Logan, do you have something to say?" Gustavo asked, looking especially frightening and strict.

The brunette didn't back down. "With all due respect, Your Highness," Logan said bravely, though his hands were shaking, "You shouldn't treat your son this way. He is not an object, to be traded and carried around like he has no voice of his own! You don't just hand him over as part of, what, a business deal? That is not something a father should do, king or not!"

Gustavo glared at Logan, who stood his ground, breathing hard. However, his face softened slightly as he looked past Logan, right at Kendall. "Is this how you've been feeling, Kendall?" he asked gently.

Kendall swallowed nervously. "It is." He paused, before stepping a bit closer to James. "But, father, as I would love to refuse this simply to prove a point . . . I care about this man. Although I would've preferred if you had the thought to introduce us properly before the arrangement, I don't object to this."

Gustavo gave a pleased smile, standing up and beckoning Kendall over. Kendall smiled and walked up to him, slightly surprised when his father pulled him in for a hug. "I hope you're happy with him."

"He's not here for riches, he's here for me. I'm going to be fine."

Gustavo nodded, smiling a little worriedly, as any father would. "Ok."

Kendall grinned at him joyfully, before running back to James, throwing is arms around his neck and kissing him hard on the mouth. James yelped in surprise, but held onto Kendall tightly and smiled into the kiss.

"Kendall!"

The two pulled back reluctantly at the loud voice, looking up at the disapproving king. "That is not the way a prince behaves," he scolded. "And stand up straight!"

"Yes, father," Kendall muttered, letting go of James and straightening up.

"And, James?" Gustavo said, watching the soldier. "How do you feel about all this?"

James chuckled, wrapping an arm around Kendall and pulling him close, kissing his forehead before saying cheerfully, "When's the wedding?"

**Any reviews? XD**


	6. Kendall of The Sorrows

**Hope you like this one! It's one of my favourite Irish stories, even though it's a sad one. Enjoy!**

**6. Kendall of The Sorrows  
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Once upon a time, there lived a young king, named Jett. King of Ireland, he was handsome, self-centred and greedy, but not cruel. Not yet, at least.

The story started when he heard the news of a new baby in the castle. Jett's storyteller Gustavo and his wife Jennifer, had brought a little baby boy into the world. As was in his best interest as the king, Jett went to their room in the servants' quarters to visit the baby. When he got there, he saw the boy lying in the cradle with pale skin, sleepy green eyes and wispy blonde hair. He was beautiful, and Gustavo and Jennifer glowed with pride at the sight of him. How on earth they were related at all, Jett would never know, because the appearances were certainly telling him a different story. They named the baby Kendall.

Jett and several other servants offering congratulations were in the room with them when two women arrived, Camille and Jo. Brunette and blonde, they were two fortune tellers that lived in the castle, predicting fortunes and always ending up exactly right. Gustavo and Jennifer wanted them to look at the baby and tell them his future.

So they both held the baby in their arms, first Camille, and then Jo. The two looked at each other as if sharing some form of silent communication, then Jo turned to the storyteller and said sadly, "As joyful as you may feel now, I'm afraid your happiness is short-lived, for this baby will bring much sorrow among the land."

"He is very beautiful," Camille added, looking just as grim. "And as he grows up, he will become more beautiful each day. However, this boy will be the cause for the death of many Irish soldiers. Much blood will be spilled for him, and among the deaths over him will be the three bravest and strongest warriers of Ireland, who may not hold that title now, but will receive it in the future."

At this prediction, many of the servants took fright as Jennifer began to cry, worrying about what would happen to her baby. Many of the servants rushed to Jett, begging him to consider drowning the child to stop the prophecy from coming true.

But king Jett was interested in Camille and Jo's prediction of Kendall's beauty. So he said, "I won't kill the child. We will send him away to be raised far from anyone, where he will be seen by nobody. Then when he becomes of age, I shall marry him. He will return to the castle as mine, and the problem will be solved."

Gustavo and Jennifer didn't want to have their child betrothed to this man by any means, but they knew it was the only way to keep him alive, so they agreed. The next morning, Kendall was taken away to live with a woman named Kelly, who was one of Jennifer's childhood friends. Kelly lived in a cottage in the woods, far from the village. But this wasn't enough for Jett, and he instructed his soldiers to build a stone tower about half a mile from where Kelly lived. When it was built, he told Kelly that Kendall had to be locked in there, away from everyone. Kelly didn't like the idea of keeping the boy up in that tower, but knew it had to be done. Almost every day she would unlock the wooden door at the bottom and limb up the stone steps. She educated him, fed him and just spent time with him as any foster mother would. And occasionally she would bring him from the tower back to her cottage, just for a small change of background. But this happened very rarely, and Kendall was often alone.

He grew up healthy and beautiful as Camille and Jo had predicted, with golden hair, creamy skin and lovely green eyes. He spent a lot of time in the tower drawing the scenery he could see from the window. And he sang, a lot. Old Irish songs that Kelly had taught him, or little melodies he just made up as he went along. But he loved to sing anything, and that was how he met James.

James Diamond was travelling through the woods on his horse one morning, his thoughts wandering when he heard singing coming from the thick clump of trees on his left. Curious, he steered the horse towards the voice to see where the voice was coming from. He rode the horse through the trees, until he saw the stone tower in a small grassy clearing. He stopped, listening and noticing that the singing was louder here. But when it stopped, he finally looked up at the tower and spotted him. The tower was about three storeys high, and there was a boy sitting on the window sill near the top, looking down at him. James guessed that was why he'd stopped singing.

The boy looked down at him with wide eyes, almost as if he were some strange alien creature. He had blonde hair and soft green eyes, and when he slowly began to smile at the sight of James, the brunette was so tempted to smile back. But he panicked, and quickly turned how horse around and hurried away.

James had heard about the boy locked in the tower in the woods, a boy betrothed to the king. People sometimes claimed they saw him, others said they heard him singing. And despite how beautiful he was, and how those eyes immediately held him spellbound, he was reluctant to get involved.

"Come back!" the boy called. "Please?"

And James just couldn't help himself. He slowly turned around his horse and kicked it on back towards the tower. He dismounted the horse and tied it to a tree, before looking up at the boy in the tower. Those green eyes sparkled as the boy smiled down at him, golden hair landing in his eyes as he leaned over the stone windowsill. "Well, I'm back," James called up, unable to resist smiling back up at him. "Now what is it you want, Mr Fair-haired Beauty?"

The boy laughed, though James could see him blushing. "I don't know. I just wanted somebody to talk to."

"Alright then, talk to me," James grinned. "Why don't we start with names? Mine is James."

"My name is Kendall." The blonde smiled down at him again, before saying, "What are you travelling through the woods for?"

"Oh, I'm just on a trip to visit a lord. I'm a soldier, you see." And of course, he was going to brag a little. "One of the bravest and strongest in the country, if you don't mind. Two of my best friends share the title with me, and nobody's taken it from us yet."

"That's nice," Kendall replied with another laugh. "I'm impressed."

"Well, that was my goal." He paused. "Why do you live up there?"

"I have to be kept away from people," was his sullen reply.

"Can you come down?" James asked, because he didn't like standing there craning his head up like this. "Or maybe I can come up?"

"No, I can't leave. There's a door but it's always locked, and I don't advise breaking it down. Kelly would be furious with me."

"Who's Kelly?"

"My adoptive mother. My real parents couldn't take care of me, and I think I'm always in here because I had to be kept safe, or something."

"Well, I'll climb up, then," James replied with a shrug, moving right up to the stone wall of the tower and gripping tightly onto the ivy coating it.

"Be careful!" Kendall said worriedly as James began to climb up. "I don't want you to fall."

"I've climbed things before," James said offhandedly, already almost at Kendall's window. "It's not that difficult anymore." He finally reached Kendall's windowsill, gripping it with both hands and heaving himself up, coming face to face with Kendall as he lifted his knees and rested them on the sill, kneeling there to catch his breath.

Then he looked up and smiled at Kendall. "I told you I could do it."

Kendall smiled, stepping back a little so James would have space to climb into the room. "I know."

James stepped into the room, looking around. It was a decent enough size, with a bed furthest away from the window, a small wardrobe, and a desk and chair. There were a few books on it, and large sheets of yellow paper with pain and pencil drawings all over them scattered by the walls. It was nice, but . . .

"You must get lonely, in here."

"I do," Kendall replied softly and a little sadly. "A lot."

James looked at Kendall properly. Standing there only an inch or two away from him. He was medium height, a couple of inches shorter than James, with a slender body. He looked even more beautiful now, standing there like this.

James didn't want to run away anymore.

Making small talk and laughing together for hours, James finally left the tower after the sun had set and the sky had turned to midnight blue, promising before he left that he would visit Kendall again soon. So Kendall spent the next morning either sitting on the window sill twiddling his thumbs or sitting at his deal with drawn portraits of James all over the floor.

"Hello? Kendall?"

Kendall jumped up and ran over to the window, looking down and seeing James sitting there on his horse, just like the day before. He waved down at him, face lighting up when he knew he wouldn't spend today alone. "Hi!"

"How are you this morning?" James asked, when he suddenly frowned and quickly glanced to his right. Once they were both silent, Kendall realised that what had caught James's attention was something crashing through the trees into the clearing. "Did you two follow me?" James demanded towards the source of the noise, eyes narrowed.

Then two men on horses trotted into the clearing. One with tan skin, one pale and both with dark hair, darker than James's. "Well, we wanted to know where you were going," the pale one said with a shrug. "We didn't see a problem with it."

James sighed in exasperation, before looking up at Kendall. "From left to right, Carlos and Logan. The soldiers I mentioned yesterday. For some reason, they decided to follow me here without my knowledge!"

Kendall couldn't help laughing. At the sound, Logan grinned up at him and commented, "I suppose now we see why James was so excited to leave us this morning. He had good reason, did he not?"

Carlos chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Wish I'd found this place first."

James looked irritated with both of them, though Kendall found the whole situation amusing. His eyes fell back on the laughing Carlos and Logan. "I like your horse," he said almost wistfully to Logan, watching as the pale grey stallion tossed his head. "Does it have a name?"

"Lightning," Logan replied breezily. "Had him since he was a foal."

"Have you ever ridden a horse, Kendall?" James asked, desperate to get back into the conversation.

"No," Kendall sighed sadly. "Considering I hardly even walk at all, I don't see how you would expect any different."

James only thought for a second or two before calling up, "Climb down then, and I'll teach you."

"I can't!"

"Of course you can."

"But what if I fall?"

"You won't, I promise."

"Um, ok." Kendall swallowed and slowly sat up on the window sill. Turning around so he was facing away from them, he inched backwards and gripped onto the sill before swinging his legs down, using the ivy as a grip. Once he got that far, it was relatively easy to climb down.

Once he was standing on the ground, James rode over to him, holding out his hand and pulling Kendall up so he was sitting in front of him on his horse. "Can he take both of us?" Kendall asked, a little worried.

"Easily," James replied, fastening both arms around Kendall's waist. "Now, grip the reins tightly in both hands . . ."

With Carlos and Logan joking and spending the afternoon with them, James soon taught Kendall how to ride the horse with confidence and ease, although the whole time Kendall said he wanted James there behind him, holding onto him in case he did something wrong. And James honestly had no problem with that.

"The sun is beginning to set," Kendall said sadly after several hours. "I need to return to my tower."

They hadn't strayed far, so it was only a minute or two before they arrived back in the clearing. James leaped off the horse before helping Kendall down to the ground, holding him in his arms for just a second or two. "Goodbye," James said softly, not wanting to let Kendall go just yet.

"Goodbye," Kendall replied with a smile. "Will you come again?"

"Of course," James replied. There was a pause. ". . . Kendall?"

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?" James asked at last, feeling nervous for the first time in his life.

Kendall, just as nervous, whispered back, "If you want to."

And he did.

Three months passed of James going to visit Kendall. They would spend the entire day together; sometimes Kendall would climb out of the tower, other times James would climb up. On days Kelly would visit, James simply hid in the trees until she was gone. Then, one afternoon, James finally decided it was time to take another step. The supposed betrothal to the king that Kendall didn't even to know about had vanished from James's memory. After all, if Kendall himself never spoke of it and didn't know of it, how could it be true?

That evening, Kelly came when James was gone. She was surprised to see Kendall waving joyfully at her and calling her name in a cheerful tone, something he hadn,t done since he was a child. "You seem over the moon about something, darling," she called up to the window before unlocking the door and making her way up the stairs with the food she'd prepared for dinner.

"Well, believe what you see," Kendall replied once she appeared in his room, taking the food from her and kissing her on the cheek as thanks, before leaving the container on his desk and turning towards her.

"Kelly, I have something to tell you," Kendall said, almost bouncing with excitement.

"Oh? What is it?" Kelly asked, still wondering what on earth Kendall was so happy about.

"Well, I'm not really sure where I should start, but . . . I met someone."

"You . . . what?" Kelly gasped, eyes widening. No, oh God, no.

"Please don't be angry with me!" Kendall pleaded. "I didn't see anything wrong with it at first, we were just talking when he came by my tower—"

"When did this happen?" Kelly asked shakily.

"Oh, ages ago. A couple of months, at least, back in the springtime. But he's been coming to see me almost every day, and he came this afternoon, and, um . . . he asked me to marry him."

"Oh God. What did you say?" Kelly asked. This seemed to be getting worse and worse by the second.

"I, I told him I would. Can I marry him, Kelly? Please? I know you've been trying to keep me safe but it won't matter if I have James now . . ."

Kelly sighed, running a hand through her tangled black hair. "This man, James. What's he like?"

"He's amazing, Kelly. He's a soldier, and he's strong, and kind, and he's just . . . he's perfect. I love him, Kelly."

"I know," Kelly replied softly, because she could really tell that he did.

"So, can I marry him? Will you let me?"

Kendall looked desperate. And totally in love. And it made Kelly want to say yes straight out, but she knew she couldn't. "Darling, if it were up to me, I would let you."

"What do you mean?" Kendall looked confused. "Who else is it up to?"

"Look, Kendall . . . you're here because you were sent here, from the castle. Some silly religious thing or something, they never told me the details. But you were being kept here so you were hidden, until . . ." Somehow she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"Until what?" Kendall was starting to look worried, and she couldn't blame him.

"Kendall, I was meant to tell you this when you turned eighteen, but you are already betrothed," Kelly finished sadly. "To the king, Jett."

"What?" Kendall stared at her with wide eyes. "N-no, I can't be! I don't even know him, I've never spoken to him in my life!"

"Your father was his storyteller, you see. He's been planning to marry you since you were born and they sent you away to live with me."

"No!" Kendall screamed, tears in his eyes. "I c-can't! I love James, Kelly, I love him s-so much. I can't marry Jett!"

"You don't have a choice."

"What if I ran away? Then I could be with James, couldn't I?"

"Kendall—"

"Kelly, please! Please help me!"

Kelly sighed, looking at the blonde boy standing in front of her. There were tears running down his cheeks, his lips trembling as he tried to hold the sobs in. She really had come to see him as her son. Her little baby.

And she would be damned if she was going to let her little baby go through all this.

"Ok, I'll help you."

Kendall dived straight on top of her, giving her a huge hug. "Thank you, so much! I promise I won't forget this! I love you, Kelly."

"I love you too, darling," she whispered, a bad feeling in the pit of her gut.

The next morning, when James climbed up the wall of the tower and into Kendall's room, you could see how delighted he was at what nw lay ahead of them. He loved Kendall more than anything, and marrying him, spending the rest of his life with him was all he wanted. "I can't contain my excitement, it,s almost unbearable," James joked as he sat down on the window sill with Kendall in his lap. "I love you."

"I love you too," Kendall murmured, kissing him lightly before pulling back and saying, "But there is a slight difficulty with our plans."

"What is it?" James asked, immediately concerned that something was stopping him from being with Kendall after all.

Kendall quickly explained how the king wanted to marry him when he became of age, and how that left them in a slightly complicated situation. "James, I can marry you, but only if I run away," Kendall said, taking James's hands in his own, "I don't know what you want, but those are the options I have."

"Kendall, I would risk anything for you," James replied earnestly, kissing Kendall softly before saying, "Alright, we'll run away, you and I. Tonight, be ready. I'll come and get you, and we'll be far away by morning."

That night, with Carlos and Logan accompanying him, and with a few supplies packed, James returned to Kendall's tower. He tossed up three pebbles, one after the other, and the sound of them clattering off the floor woke Kendall from his light and restless sleep. He sat up immediately, grabbing the little pack he'd already packed and prepared, before hurrying over to the window and looking down to see the three soldiers waiting for him. "Evening, fair-haired beauty," Carlos called up quietly, waving and grinning.

"Get down here, we're on a schedule," Logan added.

"I'm coming!" Kendall called. He held out his pack and dropped it down onto the ground, before hopping up on the window will and beginning the slow climb down. He took his time for fear that he would fall, but made it to the ground a minute or two later. He picked up his pack and went over to James, who quickly took his hand and helped him up onto the horse, the blonde immediately fastening his hands around James's waist. Then they took off into the woods, sure that now they could be together peacefully.

What they didn't realise that since it was coming so close to Kendall's eighteenth birthday, king Jett was coming to Kelly's cottage, to speak to her about him and maybe finally see the blonde for himself. Kelly could swear she felt her heart stop when she heard a knock on the door and opened it to see Jett standing there. "Jett!" she greeted casually, her mind already coming up with a million suitable lies to tell the man. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Kendall, and ask a little about him," Jett replied offhandedly. "You can take me to his tower, can't you?"

"Oh, didn't you get my message?" Kelly asked, feigning a worried and confused expression.

"What message?"

"Oh, gosh, I was so sure you had." She paused for a slightly dramatic effect. "Kendall ran away, your Highness. I'm so sorry, he just took off, when I went to see him one morning he'd vanished without a trace. This happened almost six months ago, and I sent a messenger to tell you. Something must have happened to him along the way. Considering I didn't hear anything back, I assumed that you found him or you just didn't care."

Jett looked astounded at this news. "I don't believe this." His expression turned cold and angry. "Come with me, for when I find Kendall you may be the only one able to coax him back to where he belongs."

Kelly worried about what would happen when Jett did find Kendall, but she knew she had no choice but to go with him.

Meanwhile, the four boys had found a home to settle in, away from civilisation just like Kendall's previous home had been. The four lived there happily for several months, Kendall and James marrying quietly and keeping to themselves in the house with Carlos and Logan. They were together and happy for six months before king Jett managed to track them down. Furious and humiliated, he soon discovered they had been invited to a local manor for a feast, and immediately formed a plan in his mind.

"You!" Jett called to Kelly. "Go to them, I want you to act as a spy and report back to me by morning."

With no other choice, Kelly went to the manor where Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan were staying, seeking out the feast at which thy were attending that night. She spotted Kendall and James among the crowd, dancing together, and her heart swelled because she'd never seen Kendall so happy. So when she returned to Jett to report what she had seen, she quickly lied, "I'm afraid sir, that Kendall has lost all his beauty in the time he's been away."

But Jett was suspicious, and sent another spy in to confirm if what Kelly said was true. Hawk, the new spy, went inside the manor, and upon recognising the three soldiers, saw Kendall with them. Awestruck, he couldn't help himself before he was walking over and asking for a dance with him. After turning to Kendall to seek out his approval, Kendall turned back to Hawk and replied, "Alright."

Trapped in Hawk's arms in the middle of the dance floor, Kendall couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy. And while dancing with him, Hawk suddenly held Kendall so tightly it hurt and said urgently, "I have something to tell you."

"Um, whatever it is, can you loosen your grip a little?" Kendall asked slightly fearfully, struggling against Hawk's tight hold on him. "You're hurting me."

Hawk, if anything, only tightened his grip on Kendall, making him squeak in discomfort. James, who was standing nearby at all times, heard this and he looked over at the two. "Hey!" he called towards them, eyes narrowed at the stricken expression on his lover's face.

At the sight of the angry James, Hawk panicked and grabbed Kendall's arm, hauling him towards the door so he could talk to him where they weren't the centre of attention. Kendall struggled in vain with the man, turning around and calling for James before a hand clamped over his mouth. "Be quiet, you need to listen. Jett sent me to spy on you, and I have to report back to him—"

He didn't get to say anything else, because James had appeared next to him and punched him in the face, shoving him away from Kendall before taking on a protective stance in front of him. "Be gone, before I do away with you!"

Hawk fled, and James quickly turned to Kendall, "Are you alright?"

"Yes James, I'm fine."

"We should go," Carlos said urgently. "In case he comes back to us."

"He wouldn't dare," James spat, but they left the manor nonetheless, keeping to themselves and speaking to no one. They returned home and were safe for another week before a soldier sent by Jett arrived at their cottage with a message. The man's name was Wayne, and he had been sent by Jett after ask had reported back to him, saying that Kendall was as beautiful as ever, and that the king had been played.

"King Jett wishes to make peace with you," Wayne said to them. "He welcomes you to come to his castle in Ulster, where he wishes to meet you all formally and apologise."

At first they were reluctant, but at last James agreed and they let Wayne escort them to the carriage that would bring them to Jett's castle. However, back in the castle itself, when Jett stood at one of the upstairs windows and spotted the carriage coming over the hill, he turned to the Dak Zevon, captain of the small army gathered and said, "You know the orders to give. I want Kendall alive, and Kendall only."

The carriage pulled up, and as soon as the four walked out and their feet touched the ground, they were surrounded. They immediately realised it was a trap the king had set for them. "Kendall, get behind me!" James instructed, taking out his sword and aiming for the nearest enemy soldier.

The soldiers attacking them were no match for James, Logan and Carlos. Within minutes, most of the group were dead on the ground, the three who'd defeated them only slightly drained of energy. They would keep fighting as long as it took.

Soon, it became more difficult as more soldiers arrived. James quickly saw the way out of this wasn't as easy as he had hoped. Fighting off one or two more warriors, he quickly turned to Kendall and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Kendall, listen to me. Carlos and Logan are going to take you, and I'll catch up, but you have to go with them."

"But, James—"

Kendall didn't get to finish because Logan and Carlos each grabbed one of his arms, wielding their swords with their free hands as they pulled him away, running from the castle as quickly as possible. However, they could hear footsteps pursuing them, but didn't feel threatened until there was a grunt of pain and Logan fell to the ground, an arrow in his back. Carlos screamed in rage, pushing Kendall behind him before slashing his sword right through the soldier's chest, avenging his friend's death in a number of seconds.

Three more soldiers dove towards them, and Carlos killed them all off one by one, anger and heartbreak evident in every movement. Kendall felt a painful sense of guilt as his eyes fell on Logan's body again. Because of him. They died because of him.

He was just thinking this when another soldier appeared with a spear raised and Carlos fell to the ground, his blood seeping out over the grass. Kendall gave a weak groan of horror as he stared down at the fallen soldiers, two of his only friends among them. Tears built up in his eyes, at the guilt he felt in his gut, along with the almost overpowering grief.

Then he heard a scream of pain in an unfamiliar voice, and spun around just in time to see the captain of the soldiers sprint away from James, as the soldier collapsed with a gaping wound in his side.

"James!" Kendall screamed. "NO!"

He sprinted towards his fallen lover, collapsing on his knees next to him and lifting his head up. "J-Jamie, please . . . oh God . . ."

James could barely speak, blood running down his side from the wound in his stomach. When he spoke it was barely even a whisper, but Kendall was so close to him it didn't matter. "It's ok, love."

"No, it's not!" Kendall sobbed, holding him close. "I can't lose you, I c-can't! I love you so much . . ."

"I love you too, K-Kendall," James choked as he felt his life slipping away more and more every second. "But it's . . . ok. We'll be . . . together . . . soon . . . I promise . . ."

"No no no, James," Kendall wept as the brunette's eyes drifted shut. "Don't leave me, please! You can't! P-please, Jamie . . ."

James's heart wasn't beating anymore, his body completely still. But Kendall kept holding him tightly, his blood getting all over him but he couldn't care less as he screamed and cried.

The battlefield had fallen completely silent, the remaining soldiers gone now that the deed had been done. Kendall stayed on the ground, holding onto James as if his life depended on it. Which he really felt like it did. The prophecy had been fulfilled, as Camille and Jo had predicted.

As last, over the sound of his whimpers, he heard footsteps approaching him. He looked over his shoulder to see Jett walking towards him. He tightened his grip on James's body, trembling. But then Jett had hold of him and was pulling him away. Kendall screamed and struggled, trying to get back to his dead love, but Jett was stronger and held him in place. Eventually he gave up, crying quietly in Jett's arms.

"Now, you can finally be mine," Jett said, taking Kendall by the arm and leading him away. They walked back into the castle, where they would marry in a short while. During the ceremony, Kendall stared straight ahead and at no one, tears silently streaming down his face as he was made whisper, "I do."

Over the first two months of their marriage, Jett quickly became frustrated at Kendall's cold attitude towards him. Kendall only spoke to him if he was spoken to, and they were mostly one word answers. He never smiled, not even once. He never let Jett touch him, or kiss him, unless he was forced to. Every night he would turn over on his side of the bed and act like the king wasn't there, like he didn't exist. Jett often heard him crying, but he didn't care.

And one day, he got tired of being treated that way. He wanted Kendall to suffer. As if he wasn't suffering enough already. He found Kendall in the castle gardens, sitting by the pond. "Hello," he greeted.

"Hello," Kendall replied sullenly, not even glancing at him.

Jett sighed. "I know you hate me," he said. "But I want to know, is there anyone you hate more?"

There was silence for a moment or two. Jett knew that Kendall would answer honestly, and eventually the blonde replied, "Dak Zevon. The man who took my James from me."

Jett felt a smile slowly creeping onto his face. He just couldn't help myself. "Well then, maybe he should have you instead."

Just like that, Jett called two soldiers and had them escort Kendall to one of the carriages, the king following closely behind. He smiled to himself, getting some satisfaction from the fact that Kendall would be even more miserable, forced to live with the person he hated most in the world.

Kendall sat on the carriage seat, refusing to give Jett the satisfaction of seeing him cry. But he knew, he couldn't bear it. He couldn't marry Dak, he couldn't even look at that man. He couldn't do it. Dak had taken everything from him, he didn't have anything to live for all because of him.

Nothing to live for.

Kendall leaped up, and before Jett could even move a centimetre he threw the carriage door open and leaped out. Crashing onto the road and smashing his head off a rock, he was killed instantly. The carriage stopped and Jett leaped out, running towards his fallen husband and doing his best to wake him up, realising his mistake.

But he knew it was too late, as Kendall's blood smeared on his fingers. He began to weep over his loss, regretting ever wanting to cause this boy pain. But he spent the rest of his life alone, any woman or man shying away from his affections for that he had done.

And Kendall and James were together forever.

**This was fucking depressing. Sigh . . . please review!**


	7. Kendall and His Cloak

**I am truly ashamed of this one. It's St Brigid and was AGONY to write, and it's not even good! Well, it's ok. I guess. I was thinking of doing St Patrick next but after how annoying writing this one was, I think I'll leave it to the end. Hope you like it!**

_**7. Kendall and his Cloak — St Brigid's cloak**_

When Kendall Knight was growing on his father's farm, his father Gustavo forced he and his mother to work as slaves for him. Even though his mother was given a break to take care of him once he was born, as soon as Kendall turned five she went back to working and Kendall had to start, and they would spend all day cleaning, cooking or looking after the animals. Kendall never once complained or asked for more than what he got.

Then when Kendall was ten, his mother literally dropped dead from exhaustion while sweeping the farmyard one morning. Rather than mourn over her for very long, Gustavo simply had Kendall work even harder to make up for her loss. Every night Kendall went to bed with aching bones, but he still never complained.

Kendall grew up around the time that St Patrick began spreading his Christian beliefs throughout Ireland. He admired him greatly, and spent a lot of time thinking about how he could do the same sort of things that St Patrick did. He wanted to do work for the people, more than any other form of living.

When Kendall turned eighteen, his father finally released him from slavery. He encouraged Kendall to go off into the world and find a nice wife and have children. But Kendall had other ideas. He wanted to do work for God, by giving is life to working in charity for others in need. Gustavo didn't understand it at all.

"Why can't you marry a pretty woman?" Gustavo asked him in despair. "Or even a nice man, I don't care! Must you be alone?"

"I don't want to get married," Kendall replied stubbornly. "I want to help people."

But Gustavo didn't want to give up on that idea so easily. He continuously invited men and a few women over to spend time with Kendall, hoping that maybe Kendall would fall for a woman, or one of the men should ask his hand in marriage. One or two did so, but Kendall always refused. And Kendall quickly grew frustrated with all these suitors his father kept finding for him. So one night, he knelt down, praying and wishing that there was some way to keep these men away, so it would be easier for him do dedicate his life to charity. And the next morning, Kendall's beauty was gone. Well, what the suitors saw of it. His pale skin lost its clear and glowing quality, his stance became hunched and his eyes lost their glow. And although his beauty still radiated from within, the suitors stopped coming and he could finally focus on his work.

One day he was in the village and came across two men, who were standing in the square with a tin cup on the ground in front of them. They were singing in loud but harmonious voices, some villagers quite happily standing around and listening to them, while others glanced as they walked past. Kendall walked over and watched the two singers. They were both short with dark hair, one pale and one tanned, probably of Spanish descent. When they finished their song, the square filled with applause. Kendall watched with wide eyes as the villagers dropped coins into the cup, going on their way when they had finished. Maybe he could sing for money. It seemed a good idea.

Kendall fished a couple of coins from his pocket and walked up to the singers who now stood alone, dropping them into the tin cup. "That was a beautiful song."

"Thank you," the tan one replied with a grin. "We're collecting money for the orphanage. We're going to surprise them later on."

"Oh. That's kind of you." Kendall paused, an idea suddenly coming to him. "What are your names? I'm Kendall."

"I'm Logan," the pale one piped up, "And this is Carlos."

"Would you be interested in grouping together? Do you have a place to stay?"

And so it was settled. Carlos and Logan moved in and lived on the farm with Kendall and his father. And the three began work together, collecting money for charity and going around to assist the sick or the injured. And as the days went on, they found more young men and women to join their cause.

Word spread about the society and more and more people gathered to join. And soon enough there was no room left on the farm. "We need somewhere for these people to live and work," Logan sighed one day.

"Do you think the king would give us some land?" Carlos suggested.

But the two banished the idea quickly. King James was selfish and arrogant, and wouldn't look twice at three peasants looking to take some of his precious land.

But Kendall was thoughtful. "Do you think he might?"

"No!" Logan scoffed. "He's a bastard, I bet he wouldn't give land to his own mother, let alone us! We're insignificant to him!"

"But there has to be some good in him, somewhere." Kendall persisted. "Don't you think?"

Logan and Carlos didn't think that at all. But Kendall wouldn't drop the subject. "Come on, it can't hurt to try," he pleaded.

"You'll be lucky if he even lets you inside the doors!" Gustavo cackled, eyeing Kendall's appearance with disdainful eyes. "He'd have no reason to give you the time of day!"

But finally, Logan and Carlos agreed to go with Kendall to the castle. They got two of the first men to join the group, Jett and Dak, and the five set off. It took them a while to get to the castle, but they eventually arrived there. A kind-hearted guard let them in when they explained their business, and they were led into the throne room.

King James sat in his throne, tall and handsome. He scowled in disgust when he saw who'd been let into his throne room. "What are you peasants doing in here?"

Carlos and Logan nudged Kendall forward, afraid to speak themselves. But Kendall was unafraid and walked up to the king.

"I want to ask for some land, Your Highness," Kendall said bravely. "I need land, for my charity group." Clearing his throat a little nervously, he continued. "There is an area of land, west of your castle. It has a lake, and fields where I could build houses and look after the livestock."

King James simply laughed at him. "Why on earth would I give you any land? Let alone some of my best land! You must be out of your mind!"

"Please, Your Highness." Kendall paused. Then he moved to open his cloak and detach it from his shoulders. "If I lay my cloak out on the ground, will you give me as much land as it can cover?"

And because James just found the entire situation amusing, he chuckled and replied, "Alright, beggar. We'll travel to the land you desire and see just how much you can obtain with that rag!"

So James took Kendall and the others in his carriage and they travelled the short distance to the land Kendall wanted to claim. Kendall spread his cloak out on the grass and turned to Carlos, Logan, Jett and Dak. "I want you all to take a corner each of the cloak, and spread it out as far as you can."

They did as they were told, and each picked up a corner of the cloak. Kendall shut his eyes and waited for them to start pulling it apart. The wind blew through the trees and the clouds shifted restlessly overhead. And then as they began pulling the cloak, something extraordinary happened. The cloak began to grow. It stretched out far and wide across the field, and still it grew, spreading out farther and farther, until it covered the land that Kendall had wanted.

James stared in horror at what was going on before him. He'd never dreamed it was possible for anything like this to happen. He was afraid for his life at this point, worried that the sorcery would come after him, because he'd refused to give any land away.

James fell to his knees before Kendall, clasping one of his hands desperately. "Please forgive me for my actions," he pleaded. "I beg of you, please do not hold this against me, for I promise I'll change my ways!"

Just as the words left his mouth, the sky rumbled again and Kendall closed his eyes, taking a relaxed stance. As the wind blew through Kendall's hair, his beauty began to return to him. He slowly changed back to the appearance he had before he wished his beauty away. The sky cleared and James looked up at Kendall in complete amazement. "You don't need to bow before me," Kendall said sweetly. "Now that you've sworn to change."

"I . . yes," James managed to stutter out as he stood up shakily. "I'll be kinder to everybody. Especially those less fortunate."

James was true to his word. He gathered workers together to help Kendall and the others build their holding houses for the charity group. Kendall and his group lived there happily for years, inviting homeless people in to stay, offering to work in the orphanages and healers' homes, and helping everybody who needed it. James visited them regularly and often joined in with these charitable activities, often going to talk to sick children and the like, following Kendall's advice almost like a lapdog.

"Young love," Carlos and Logan would always tease whenever they saw him with Kendall.

Then one day, James asked Kendall to marry him. And because James was wrapped around his little finger, Kendall told the king he would think about it for a while. He was wondering if he would change his mind about never marrying. But only a month later, Kendall and James wed in the castle, a ceremony everyone was invited to. And although Kendall became a king, he never changed his ways. He used his power to help others, and did so until the day he died.

**Just so you are aware, the next three will have sad endings. Yup, it's true. The next one will be Cargan-centric, then there will be 2 Kames ones, and then will be Cargan-centric as well, and that might be it! Leave a review!**


	8. James and the Fawn

**I know I said the next one would be Cargan-centric. I lied unintentionally. So then I was gonna put a Kames without Carlos and Logan and a cargan without Kendall and James in the same chapter. But that didn't work out, because the cargan one isn't working for me XD sorry!**

**8. James and the Fawn**

One day, James was out hunting with his dog, Lightning, when they came across a fawn, sheltering under an oak tree. The fawn shakily got to its feet when it saw them and tried to run, but it kept one back leg off the ground and walked clumsily and slowly. Immediately James called for Lightning to chase the fawn and wear it down. But Lightning didn't do as he asked. Instead he walked forward and started nuzzling against the fawn's slim legs.

James watched, puzzled. He raised his spear and prepared to kill the fawn, when suddenly Lightning turned and gave him a menacing growl, standing in front of the fawn, protecting it. "Lightning!" James exclaimed in shook. "What are you doing? It's only a fawn!"

But Lightning didn't move. And James, eventually, decided he trusted Lightning. "Alright then. We'll leave it alone."

He whistled for Lightning to follow him and turned around, heading back towards home. He heard Lightning running to catch up with him and walking at his heels. But when he looked over his shoulder, he saw the fawn was limping along behind them. He decided to ignore it and kept walking, Lightning padding along beside him.

When he got to his castle, he walked through the gateway and into the gardens, before turning around to see if the fawn was still following them. It was, and just as it limped past the gateway and into the castle grounds, something strange happened. The fawn's thin fur coat began to glow, glow so bright that James couldn't even see its shape anymore. Though suddenly he could see it start to change; get taller, up on two legs, its form becoming more human. As the glow began to fade, the fawn's legs buckled and it toppled to the ground.

James gasped at what he saw. It was a man, with a small and thin body. Like a fawn's. He was half sitting, half lying on the ground, eyes fluttering open. He has golden blonde hair and creamy pale skin. Lightning ran up to the man and nuzzled up to his naked body, giving a happy little bark. When the man reached out a shaky hand to stroke Lightning's head, James snapped out of his daze and hurried forward.

"Here, let me help you," he said quickly, taking the man under the arms, and lifting him up. The man's legs trembled again and he collapsed against James's chest. The brunette held him up until he could support his weight on his good leg, before gently asking, "Who are you?"

The man's voice was soft and a little shaky as he replied, "My name is Kendall."

James brought Kendall inside, and ordered for a couple of the servants to being Kendall some clothes and something to eat and drink. Then he sat him down by the fireplace and asked him where he'd come from.

Kendall told him that he'd been chased by the evil sorcerer, Hawk. Hawk had been trying to force Kendall to become his slave and companion. And when Kendall refused, Hawk turned him into a fawn and abandoned him in the woods, to be hunted down and killed by people. Already Kendall had been chased by a wild dog but had manage to scare it off, which was why he had an injured leg. But he was cold and weak, with little strength left. James immediately offered him a home in the castle, before having a healer see to his leg. And afterwards, he gave Kendall a room and bed of his own.

Walking into the castle grounds had broken the spell on Kendall, and the castle grounds where the only place where Hawk couldn't come after him again. So he stayed there with James, offering a hand whenever he could, trying to repay James for his hospitality. All James really needed was Kendall's company. Then one afternoon James had the courage to tell Kendall that he wanted him as more than a lodger.

They were married only a month later, and lived happily together for a year. They spent every waking hour in the castle togather, arm in arm, hand in hand. James realised how lonely he'd been before Kendall came along. And he never wanted to let him go.

But one day, James went out to go hunting. This began just like any other day; Kendall kissed James goodbye and wished him luck. And James told Kendall to make sure he stayed inside the castle grounds. Then James and Lightning left. Kendall stayed out in the grounds for a while, sitting in the sun and reading quietly to himself.

Then suddenly, he heard James calling him. "Kendall! Help me!"

Kendall quickly ran towards the source of the pain-filled voice. He gasped in horror when he saw James coming towards the castle, half his leg torn up and covered with blood. Before he could walk another two steps, e collapsed on the ground. "K-Kendall," he choked. "Help . . ."

Kendall dropped his book and ran out to help James, grabbing him by the arm and helping him to his feet. "What happened to you?" he asked frantically.

"I got attacked," James replied hoarsely, coughing weakly at the end of his sentence.

"Where are all your things? Where's Lightning?" Kendall asked.

James turned to look him in the eyes. Kendall froze. His hazel eyes were cold, not a trace of love in them. Then he gave a dark smirk, hands snapping forward to grab Kendall by the arms. Kendall screamed, trying to leap away, but James held him tightly against his body. "Let me go!" Kendall screamed, hitting at the man who looked like his husband. "You're not James! What did you do to him?!"

James's face began to change, shifting until Hawk stood there, dressed in a long cloak and still holding him tightly. "Relax, James is fine," Hawk smirked. "I'm fact, he has no idea what's happening right now. But he will when he comes home and you're nowhere to be found . . ."

Kendall started screaming for help from the castle, but Hawk slammed a hand over his mouth and wouldn't let him get away. Then he started murmuring an enchantment, shutting his eyes and repeating a spell over and over again. Kendall felt his head staring to spin, and his body beginning to change shape. And before he knew it, Hawk had let go of him, and he had turned back into a fawn. Then Hawk cast another spell and summoned a pack of wild dogs. Barking wildy, they chased after Kendall, and terrified, he fled, away from the castle and into the forest. Satisfied that his work was done, Hawk left.

James got home that evening, and realised Kendall was missing before he even set foot inside the castle. Lightning stopped outside the gateway, sniffing the ground around them intently. "What's wrong?" James asked him, watching him with concerned eyes.

Lightning looked up and barked at him urgently. James sighed. "Is it a bear?"

He turned to greet the servant walking out to meet him, handing over the game he'd caught. "Where's Kendall?" the woman asked. "Isn't he with you?"

"No, of course not," James replied slowly. "He stayed here, as he always does . . ." James turned to look down at Lightning. "No . . ."

Lightning barked again, whining pitifully as he turned and ran a few seps towards the forest, before running and barking at James again. "No!" James cried, tears pooling in his eyes. "Hawk . . ."

Lighting took off in a run, following Kendall's trail as best he could. James ran after him breath catching in his throat and tears falling down his cheeks. Lightning did his best to follow Kendall's trail, and they wandered through the forest all night long. Eventually they came to a river, and the trail ended. James gritted his teeth, picked up Lightning in his arms and waded across. But at the other side, there was no trace of Kendall. He hadn't made it past the river. Whatever had happened to him, he couldn't track him down now.

James went home alone. And he never saw Kendall again.

**Now you know why this is so short. The next one is the last, and will have a lot of cargan, and some Kames too. And I'll do my very best with it :)**


	9. The Brown Bull of Cooley

**Well, here's the last one . . . yeah. Enjoy? It's a bit short but . . . eh, it's not my favourite I guess.**

**9. The Brown Bull of Cooley**

Logan and Carlos had been married for about five years now. But not happily married. Granted, in the beginning the two had seemed right for each other; two children madly in love. But some time after they got married, things began to change. Nobody could be very sure as to what it was. Some suspected it might have been due to their different views when it came to ruling the kingdom. Others though that deep down, they really were two very different people and that it was their clashing personalities that seemed to destroy their marriage.

Either way, their relationship was crumbling. It seemed that now, all they could do was argue with each other and compete over each other's wealth and power. They both had massive chambers piled high with gold and jewels, and often they would go and count it, simply because they were so desperate to have something more than what the other had. They both had large property with fields full of livestock and grain, constantly boasting if they happened to have anything more than the other did. It happened day in, day out. It was a wonder that neither of them had been driven demented by it yet.

"Just face it!" Logan snarled at his huband and supposed beloved. "You'll never match up to me!"

"I have two chambers piled high with riches that you can never compete with!" Carlos snapped back.

"I have just as much as you do," Logan scoffed, head held high. "And I have over three thousand cattle in my livestock, which you don't have!"

"Oh, but you know what I do have? I have the strongest bull in all of Connacht in my fields, and you have none!" Carlos smirked. "But thanks for trying."

Of course, upon hearing this, Logan was furious. He was determined not to let Carlos defeat him at anything. So he went and asked a number of his nobles if they knew of any other bull in the country as strong as the white bull. And finally, he received his answer. "There is a brown bull in Cooley," one man told him. "Up in Ulster. I suppose you could try and take that, if they give you permission."

Immediately, Logan decided that whether or not they gave permission, he would have that bull. He sent a messenger up to Ulster to find the man who owned the bull. The messenger asked the farmer if Logan could have the bull for just one year. However, he also added, "Even if you refuse, he'll take it by force."

And this was what made the man refuse. The messenger returned to tell Logan the news, and he immediately started making plans to invade Ulster.

Unfortunately, at this time, most of Logan's army were under a strange enchantment and could not fight. They had been for several months now. The only man spared from this also happened to be his strongest warrier; James Diamond, who hadn't been in Connacht at the time of the curse. "How do you plan to invade Ulster with one man?" Logan's nobles demanded. He ignored them and set off to Ulster, with a worried and doubtful James in tow.

The army of Ulster had already gathered to keep him away. But Logan went to meet with their leader and he made a deal. Each of Ulster's men would fight James one by one rather than all at one. If he was defeated, Logan would leave Ulster and he wouldn't return even when his army's curse was lifted. Truthfully, he intended to try and take the bull no matter what the outcome, but he convinced Ulster's general to agree. And so, the battling commenced.

One by one, Ulster's warriors were brought out to fight with James. Naturally, the general sent forward the weakest first and saved the strongest for later, when he hoped James would be weaker. James was strong and fast, and had killed at least twenty men within less than an hour, hardly breaking a sweat. He found this easy for the most part, but he also felt a slight twinge of guilt when he saw fear in the young men's eyes.

James defeated man after man of Ulster's army over the course of the next few days, until there were only a handful left. At this point, the general was beginning to regret his deal with Logan, but knew that if he went back on it, Logan would invade Ulster at a later stage whether he was defeated or not. So he stayed silent and watched his men fall with a heavy heart.

In his final act of desperation, the general finally brought forward his best soldier. His name was Kendall Knight, and he was stronger and braver than any other warrior in the area. Or at least, stronger and braver than they had been. His eyes widened when he saw James. And when James saw Kendall, he felt like his whole world was crashing down.

James and Kendall had met when they were younger. And fell in love almost instantly. But unfortunately, their families disapproved strongly of their relationship. James's parents were determined for him to join the army and fight for their province. Kendall's family wanted the same for him. Only a mere few months after they had met, when they were planning to get married, James's parents came and forced him to return to Connacht, where he was immediately enrolled in the army. Kendall was left alone, and soon enough his parents convinced him to join the army too. And because he felt he had nothing else to live for, he did as they asked.

Now here they stood, just staring at each other with wide and fearful eyes. "I missed you," was all Kendall could say softly, gazing at the taller man with pure longing in his eyes.

"I missed you more," James replied weakly.

"Don't just stand there!" Logan ordered James. "Kill him! I need that bull!"

James turned to stare at the king, horrified. Then he turned back to Kendall. Kendall gave a soft, sad smile and drew his sword. "I understand what you have to do," he said quietly. "By you know I have to fight back."

James nodded, holding his own sword up. "I know." Their swords clashed together, and they began to fight. Logan went to sit in his tent and wait for the battle to end as rain began to fall. The air turned cold and the wind harsh as the two lovers' battle wore on.

James and Kendall's fight lasted more than a day. They were both skilled and strong warriors and by sunset neither of them had been defeated. During the night, they were permitted to suspend their battle, and the moment this was granted, they both dropped their weapons and hurried into each other's arms. They went and sat together on the outskirts of the tents, keeping each other warm.

James sat there with his arms secured tightly around Kendall. "I'm so sorry we have to do this," he said softly, kissing Kendall's lips gently. "So, so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Kendall whispered back, holding his hand and playing with his fingers. "You're just doing what you have to. Like I am."

"It's not fair," James said sadly. "That we have to fight like this just for a bloody bull that King Logan just has to have!" He could feel himself growing more frustrated as he spoke.

"Shh." Kendall leaned up and gently kissed his cheek. "I know you're angry, but there's nothing we can do."

They held each other all through the night. It was cold and wet but James wouldn't go near the tents. Kendall didn't want to go there either. They just stayed under the trees, drying each other's tears and kissing each other gently until they both managed to fall asleep at last.

Kendall and James fought for three days, each night returning to each other's arms and holding each other as they talked before falling asleep for a couple of restless hours.

On the final morning, both of them were weakened and tired, and fed up with this ordeal they had to go through. As they fought, their blows were slow and messy. Kendall's entire stance was weakened and James was almost the same.

Then suddenly James struck at Kendall with his sword, expecting the blonde to block it like he had been every time. But Kendall vaguely waved his sword in the direction of the blow and didn't make it far enough. James's sword slashed across his chest and he screamed in pain, falling to the ground.

"NO!" James collapsed next to him, ripping his shirt off before taking the blonde in his arms and trying to stop the blood flowing frm his gaping wound. But it did no good. He began to cry as he eyed Kendall's whitening face, his trembling body. "I'm so sorry," he sobbed, kissing Kendall's forehead, running his thumb over Kendall's slightly blue lips. "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry—"

"It's okay," Kendall choked, one hand trying to grip James's like a lifeline. "I love you. Just stay until I'm sleeping . . ."

Logan watched the whole scene, some cold feeling stabbing at his chest. He wasn't yet sure what exactly it was, but he didn't think he wanted to feel it again. Whatever this nagging feeling was.

James held Kendall until his chest fell completely still, his eyes blank and dark. With his two fingers he gently closed his eyelids, kissed him on the forehead and laid him on the ground. He continued to cry, shaking as he lay over Kendall's body to protect him from any further harm. Not that it would make much difference now.

"James," Logan said slowly, taking a step closer to him. "Come on, we need to go . . ."

James turned and stared up at him, blood all over his bare chest, tears streaming down his cheeks. He glared up at Logan, almost snarling. "You disgust me," he choked. "Don't come near me."

"What?!" For a second Logan was just horrified that one of his soldiers would dare talk to him that way.

Then James reached a hand down and withdrew a long knife from his belt, holding it up and gazing at the glinting silver blade.

"J-James . . .?"

James glanced up at him again before holding the knife high. And Logan suddenly realised what he planned to do. "JAMES, NO—"

Then there was a flash of the blade and James had stabbed himself in the chest. With a gasp of pain, he fell next to Kendall, using what little strength he had left to wrap an arm around his dead lover as he died with him, in only a few seconds.

Logan stared at them in horror, trembling as he gazed at the fallen lovers. There was blood everywhere . . . they were still holding each other. Even in death.

And then he knew what that feeling was. It was just pure guilt. Because he'd caused this to happen. It was his fault, all his fault. It hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before. He felt tears in his eyes for these two poor people, one he hadn't even known, the other he'd had little interest in before today.

"It seems we've been defeated," the general of Ulster's said sullenly, standing next to him. The farmer stood with him, looking forlorn. "You can take the bull."

Logan glanced at them briefly before saying, "Forget it."

"What?"

"I said forget it. I'm going home." Logan took off his cloak and gently draped it over the two bodies by his feet, hiding their ugly wounds and bloody clothes from view. "On one condition. I want these two to be buried, together. Will you do that for me?"

The man didn't need to do anything Logan said, and Logan knew this. But the man still nodded and replied, "I will."

"I'll be back soon to see. Maybe in a few weeks, I don't know. I've got some things to sort out at home."

Logan left Ulster and went back to Connacht with a heavy heart, guilt and the weight of what he'd caused on his mind. But underneath that, there was determination. He'd seen those two people, madly in love but driven apart, driven apart by whatever had driven himself and Carlos apart. He could remember a time where people had once probably looked at him and Carlos together and seen what he saw between Kendall and James. He wanted that back. He realised now, that what they were both doing wasn't going to get them anywhere. And it probably wasn't doing their kingdom any good either.

When Logan arrived back at the castle, he found Carlos in the gardens. "I want to talk to you," he said bravely.

Carlos nodded nonchalantly and Logan sat next to him, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "When you told me about the white bull, I got jealous and angry. I found out about a brown bull in Ulster, so I went to get it."

Carlos scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Let's just put them together and see which—"

"No, listen. I didn't bring it back with me." Logan bit his lip. "I wanted to. I went to a lot of trouble for it. But then I realised . . . what are we doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"There were two men there, one was ours and one was Ulster's. And it was my determination just to beat you at something that destroyed them both. I don't want that to happen to us. I remember when we used to be in love, and I know we can probably bring that back. This competitive thing isn't doing anyone any good, I don't even remember how it got stared."

Carlos looked thoughtful. He couldn't help smirking. "There must be something in the water up in Ulster. It's like you're a totally different person."

Logan smiled. "I am. Because I want things to change. Do you think they can?"

"I suppose we could try."

Within the next week or two, Logan and Carlos did their best to rid themselves of the contest. Most of the livestock they'd gathered to outdo the other was given to the common people on their farms, and many of the riches they didn't need were spread out amongst the people. Their kingdom began to rebuild, and the subjects' love and admiration for the kings slowly began to return. Logan and Carlos found themselves becoming warmer towards each other as they went about to help the people together, working as a team for the first time in so long.

And a week or two after everything had been sorted out, Logan took Carlos up to Ulster to show him where the general of Ulster had buried Kendall and James. There was a wooden cross standing in a patch of flowers that the man had planted shortly after their burial. He told Logan that the two had been buried together, as he'd asked. And Carlos finally understood why Logan had changed. And he was happy that he'd changed along with him.

**So anyway, in the original story, of course, it's different. The queen's warrior is fighting his best friend rather than a lover, but they come to the same ending. I'm pretty sure the guy kills himself, anyway. Something like that. The main difference is that in the original the queen just took the bull anyway and left, the bitch. Then the two bulls killed each other. Yup.**

**Anyway, that's the end of this series :) thanks so much for reading!**


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